In 1963, civil rights leaders set the groundwork for what came to be known as the children’s crusade in Birmingham, Ala. More than 3,000 children, ranging in age from teens to elementary school students, protested peacefully for desegregation in a hostile environment. This action gained the attention and sympathy of people throughout the nation and around the world, proving to be a potent force toward achieving desegregation in Birmingham.

It is now time for the students of this country to have their own children’s crusade, with the guidance of their school administrators, teachers, and parents. Let’s let the young people, who cannot yet vote, lead the way and speak for themselves in a consolidated effort to address the insanity of living in a country awash in weaponry and with no common-sense gun laws. If such an effort is to succeed, school superintendents must come together to empower their school communities to take such an action.

Bud Stone

Arlington