Spring 2018: “Letters of Hope” Middle School Winner Lucy Shuler-Morgan

Read Lucy's letter to Emma González, activist and survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, about how González inspires countless kids like her who sometimes feel they are too young to make a difference in the world.


Lucy Shuler-Morgan, a sixth-grade student of Rachael Pierce at Washington Elementary in Omaha, Nebraska, read and responded to the online YES! Magazine article, “Love Letters to the Resistance,” by Aura Bogado


Writing Prompt: 

Think about what matters most to you about our country’s future. Write a letter to someone important to you, describing that future you imagine and hope for.


Emma González

5901 NW Pine Island Road,

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

Parkland, FL 33076

Dear Emma,

My name is Lucy Shuler-Morgan. I am a sixth grader from Washington Elementary in Omaha, Nebraska. I am writing you today because I want you to know what an inspiration you are to not only me but also to all of us kids who sometimes feel like we are too young to make a difference in the world. 

It is unbelievable that we have to deal with gun violence in this country, while our peers in other parts of the world don’t have this problem. That is because their countries have common sense gun control. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to experience what you and your friends have had to face.

If those 17 kids could come back for even just a few minutes, they wouldn’t complain about that math test next period. They wouldn’t complain about their parents’ cooking. They wouldn’t think that they weren’t good enough or pretty enough, and they wouldn’t dwell on their flaws. They wouldn’t take anything for granted because having their lives cut short would make them appreciate the normal parts of being a kid. This has opened my eyes to how lucky I am to get to experience all the small wonders of my life: reading my little sister a bedtime story, going on walks with my dog, singing show tunes in the car with my mom, and laughing at my dad’s jokes.

You and all the other Marjory Stoneman Douglas kids who are standing up and making your voices heard on behalf of the 17 kids who can’t are so empowering. It would be understandable if you wanted to put this terrible tragedy behind you and move on with your life. Instead, you are using your pain as a path to change and that is truly amazing.

It is hard for me to understand how people in power can continue to choose money over people’s lives, especially after seeing what you and the many other survivors of mass shootings have had to go through. Even though you are getting pushback from the NRA, I hope that you know that there are countless kids who are looking up to you, finding hope from you, and cheering you on.

I hope that the next generation will never see its kids’ lives turned upside down by gun violence. Never again.

Yours in power,

Lucy Shuler-Morgan

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