Still Sick of Prayers
I was seven when the Virginia Tech shooting happened. Credit: Pitt Magazine 2019 I was twelve when 20 children and 6 teachers were killed at Sandy Hook. I was twelve when 13 movie-goers died in Aurora. Sixteen when 49 people were murdered at the Pulse Nightclub. Seventeen when 60 were gunned down in Las Vegas while attending a festival. Seventeen, weeks away from eighteen, when 14 teenagers and 3 staff were shot and killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, on Valentines Day. I was eighteen, and less than two months into college at the University of Pittsburgh, when 11 people were shot and killed while praying at the Tree of Life Synagogue. Background Growing up in the United States of America, my life has been shaped by mass shootings and the ever-looming threat of gun violence. I recall, mere days after the Tree of Life shooting, sitting in a circle with my fellow Intro to Theatre classmates. Our teacher asked us to go around and share our thoughts. It started with s...
