Ignore today's youth at your peril

       photo courtesy of WNDU News

I took a little bit of satisfaction today (okay, a lot) as I gazed at the audience during today's March for our Lives rally here in South Bend. While it consisted mostly of adults, there was a huge, and I do mean huge, contingent of young people there (definition of teens and young 20-somethings). And there were plenty of even younger kids too.

Unofficially, I would gamble that there were between 400 and 750 people present at the rally, and again, most were under 30 years of age.

A number of friends not entirely friendly to this cause, or at the least suspicious of it, made plenty of remarks last week during the school walkouts on the one-month anniversary that most of the kids were bullied into walking out with their classmates and teachers.

Sure, uh-huh.

If I want to buy into that notion (and I don't), that would easily have evaporated today. The youth I saw today were energetic, passionate, smart, caring, committed, some frightened, AND they were loud.

I would advise people not to discount our youth's determination on this issue.

They handed out flyers, they hung posters commemorating those who had died from gun violence, and they handed out and carried signs.

Now, I don't know how many of you have teenagers but it is pretty near impossible to get them to mobilize like this and to do it on their time when they are away from the watchful eyes of their schoolmates.

There was no bullying today. These were smart, caring kids who want to see change. One thing they mentioned today--repeatedly, was this: "We are going to be of voting age soon."

Any adults not smart enough to recognize this will need to, as one teen said today, "Start brushing up your resume."

Excited, I am. Watching these kids today, I saw a cause that has united them, and I fully expect their movement will grow.

Bravo!