Back in my Day

The papers on the wall before you are the names of people killed in school shootings from 1999-2023. To find them I had to search through databases where they were just a number, then hundreds of articles with the name of the murderer written right next to theirs. I read each event and felt the weight of each shattering instance, so many lives changed, lost, all because they sought education for themselves and others. Now these victims can be represented without their killer. We are at an all-time high with shootings on school grounds, as long as this continues to happen I will read about each tragedy and record the victim’s names. They will not be forgotten, their names will be protected, and not be associated with those who did them harm. I only hope that one day I could say to others, “Back in my day,” and it would be an unimaginable past. My heart breaks for all the children taken who will never have the future to say back in my day.

This work includes viewers' participation in a test designed around school shooting statistics. The test was formatted after an SAT, including a reading, grammar, and math section. A tactical laser points at the viewer’s heart while they sit at the desk and the names of murdered people overwhelmingly cover the wall in front of them.