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5 Things to do for the Day of Silence®
and to Remember Lawrence King
This year’s National Day of Silence on April 25
will be held in memory of Lawrence King, a 15 year-old middle school student
who was murdered in school by a classmate because of his sexual orientation
and gender expression. It is our hope that through awareness and a commitment
to address anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment schools will be
safer for all students and such a tragedy can be prevented from happening again.
Hundreds of thousands
of students are expected to participate. They will echo the silence LGBT
students and their allies face every day so that Lawrence King and the
countless others who endure anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment
will not be forgotten.
5 Things to do for the Day of Silence
- Set up a table and passing out speaking cards, stickers and other materials. For free downloads click HERE.
- Find "speaking allies" that speak on behalf of silent students for the day. The speaking allies can explain to others the purpose of those who are silent and even perform skits or other creative means of building awareness.
- Have a silent lunch to recognize the Day of Silence. End this period by spending some time discussing how you feel LGBT students and their allies are silenced because of harassment, discrimination and abuse, and brainstorm ways you can help end the silence.
- Write a letter to the editor for your school newspaper or to your local community paper before or after the event expressing what the Day of Silence is, why it’s important to you and any experiences you may have had during the day. You might also want to talk about name-calling, bullying and harassment in your school.
- Have a Breaking the Silence/Night of Noise party after the Day of Silence. This can include a vigil for Lawrence King, a speak-out, poetry readings, food, music, etc. For tips to organizing a successful Breaking the Silence event, click HERE.
5 Things to Do to Remember Lawrence King
- Sign up for the Day of Silence and receive information and resources, like on how to be on toll free organizing conference calls. Click HERE.
- Organize a vigil as a part of your Breaking the Silence event. To learn how to organize a vigil click HERE.
- Wear or make Lawrence King t-shirts, buttons, stickers or other items that show your support. For products click HERE.
- Ask supportive teachers to let you talk for a few minutes or give a presentation on the Day of Silence, Lawrence King and creating safer schools. For Frequently Asked Questions click HERE.
- Create a "Remembering Lawrence" wall where students can put their words of support and condolences. As an example, virtual walls can be seen on the Remembering Lawrence King sites at:
My Space
and on Facebook .
What are you going to do to end the silence?
Register and BE COUNTED!.
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