How This Sarah Lawrence Student Used Social Media to Convince Her College President to Take a Public Stance Against Guns
by Rex Leonowicz, DoSomething.org Writing Intern
Mimi Healy has only tweeted one time. But that tweet will make a permanent impact on the safety of her college.
The 19-year-old sophomore at Sarah Lawrence created her Twitter to join DoSomething.org’s Guns Out campaign, which is activating students all over the country to tell their college that the only guns they want on campus are the ones they can flex. Mimi tweeted at her college president, Karen Lawrence, encouraging her to sign the official letter against allowing firearms on campus.
Mimi also rallied her friends on Facebook, spoke in-person with fellow members of SLC’s Student Activity Council, and flooded the group pages of each class year at Sarah Lawrence, urging students to post about Guns Out on social.
The students spoke, and the college listened. Shortly after, President Lawrence signed the letter.
“Usually, we don’t hear much from [the administration], so I was really surprised [she] signed it…It makes me so happy,” Mimi said.
Sarah Lawrence already has an anti-gun policy, and New York State prohibits any carrying of firearms at colleges and universities. Still, as 15 states debate bills on whether to allow firearms on campus, when schools and states take a public stand against concealed carry, it makes a strong national statement. Mimi thought it important that Sarah Lawrence identify itself as a strong opponent of campus concealed carry, as an example to other institutions.
“Everyone [at Sarah Lawrence] is mostly on the same page in terms of gun control, so I thought it would be beneficial for Sarah Lawrence to have that official document signed,” she said.
Why #GunsOut?
Mimi began to think more critically about gun violence after hearing about the rise in school shootings in the last few years, and also because she has friends in other states whose colleges soon might allow concealed carry on their campuses. Mimi grew up in rural North Carolina, where having a gun is more commonplace.
“My grandfather always had a gun on him and slept with it under his pillow,” she said. “As I got older, I started realizing how bizarre that was.”
This year, guns will surpass car accidents as the leading cause of death among young people. Though young people are disproportionately affected by gun violence, most feel silenced on the issue. In fact, 85% of of DoSomething.org members have said their voices aren’t being heard in the gun violence prevention debate.
DoSomething.org created the Guns Out campaign to change that. When it comes to guns on college campuses in the United States, concealed carry is prohibited at most schools. However, as DoSomething.org CEO Aria Finger notes in a recent Huffington Post article, “bills have been introduced in at least 37 states that would allow guns on college campuses.”
Thus far, over 48,000 members have signed up to pressure their school’s administration to keep guns off campus.
You can follow Mimi’s lead and help keep your school safe. Sign up for the Guns Out campaign, and encourage your college to take a stand against firearms on campus.
Rex Leonowicz is a Writing Intern at DoSomething.org. He’s a trans/nonbinary/femme writer, poet, and visual/performing artist from Queens, NY. Find him online at rexylafemme.tumblr.com and @rexylafemme on Twitter & Instagram.
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