We are all Hokies

Some will question why I have taken this position. The 32 victims of a student rampage were definitely not the only victims of violence on Monday. Countless people died of senseless violence in various parts of the United States, Iraq and the rest of the Middle East, various parts of Africa, Europe; children in Africa and various parts of Asia are victims of injustice on an everyday basis.

What prompts me to post with such a vengence on this particular issue?

Maybe its the close proximity, the fact that I know people that attend Tech and people that have attended Tech in the past. Maybe its because I know what its like to have your protective bubble popped, exposing you to the harsh reality of the world. Maybe its because it could have happened anywhere - and that Universities across the country admit that there's nothing that they can do to ensure the security of their campuses. Maybe its because I have young nieces, nephews, and others that I care deeply for, that are either in college or are getting ready to attend college campuses in anytown, USA - and there is no guarantee out there that they will not one day be a victim to this kind of tragedy. Maybe its because I have a soft spot for the Tech-MSA. Maybe its because I have a Virginia connection.

Maybe its because in the midst of the violence, there were simple acts of heroism - the Professor that died in an attempt to save his students, the Egyptian student that gave his life saving his fellow student, the ROTC cadet's quick thinking that saved his classmates lives.

Maybe its because one day I hope to have my (future) children (inshaAllah!) attend high school and college in this country - and it scares the crap out of me that they might be subject to body searches and metal detectors, and still not be ensured safety.

Maybe its because the Tech shooting destroyed the sanctuary of a quiet little town. Maybe its because the victims were killed for no reason what so ever - not even discriminatory reasons. Maybe its because the shootings have raised questions within my heart about the world that we live in, a question that I probably should have asked earlier, but failed to do so.

Maybe its because I am opposed to the NRA, and I believe that this could have been prevented if loose gun laws didn't allow a college kid to buy assault weapons. Maybe ts because I recognize that its not quite as simple as that.

Maybe its because hearing the gunshots in the videos, the screams, hearing how students were jumping out of windows brought back scary memories of the mayhem of September 11, reminding me that we live in a broken world.

Why are we all Hokies? Why do the words of Nikki Giovanni's rousing poem, "we are Virginia Tech" resonate in my heart?

"We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did not deserve it but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, but neither do the invisible children walking the night to avoid being captured by a rogue army. Neither does the baby elephant watching his community be devastated for ivory; neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy.
...

We are better than we think, not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imagination and the possibility we will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears, through all this sadness.

We are the Hokies.

We will prevail, we will prevail.

We are Virginia Tech."

There are grave injustices happening all over the world, and we easily forget about them. We are all Hokies today because this tragedy reminds us that there will continue to be injustice in the world until we stand up against it.

We are all Hokies.