A group of students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High has started a new Twitter account to uplift the narratives of survivors at the school and other gun violence survivors.
Lorena Sanabria, 16, is one of the students managing the Twitter account@StoriesUntoldUS. She said the idea was created after listening to classmates at Stoneman Douglas who were in the freshman building where the massacre occurred and hearing them recount that day weeks later.
She said those personal accounts are important, but she recognizes not all of them will be covered by the media.
“We wanted to have an outlet,” said Lorena.
This is an open invitation for those who have been a victim of gun violence. Don’t let your voice be silenced, you can now share your story #StoriesUntold pic.twitter.com/dVn99eyJ85
— Stories Untold US (@StoriesUntoldUS) April 2, 2018
Morgan Williams, 16, was in Room 1213 when the shooter aimed at her classroom. Four of her classmates were shot, some just a few feet from her.
Morgan said she supports #StoriesUntold because it will also reflect a diversity of voices on the Stoneman Douglas campus.
“People who are Hispanic and black, no matter what you look like, you will not be ignored, and they can feel like they can share their experiences,” she said.
Morgan said while she is thankful for the traction of the Never Again Movement and the work she and her peers are doing to tackle gun reform, she added an important element of that is to hear the stories of people who survived the mass shooting and other forms of gun violence.
“For those of us who were there, we saw things and heard things. People need to understand what that felt like,” said Morgan.
The school has provided therapists for students, but Giuliana Matamoros, 16, said she wasn’t comfortable yet talking about that day with a grownup.
“I almost lost my best friend Maddy [Wilford]] who got shot multiple times,” she said. “Just hearing the news that they found her unconscious on the floor, almost dead--I felt hopeless. I felt broken.”
Giuliana said she and other students who are survivors want to record their experiences and are encouraging other survivors of gun violence to do the same using #StoriesUntold.
