We March for Life

That morning ritual of shaking the young men’s hands as they walk on to our hallowed ground is the highlight of my day. So not being there has to be for a good reason. It was. For the next three days, I will be accompanying a group of our students to Washington DC to participate in the annual March for Life.

 

Since 1974 millions of Americans have gathered in January in our nation’s capital to express their support of the Pro-Life movement. Belen Jesuit has actively participated in this event for many years and the Wolverines will be joining their voices to the throngs of men, women, and children who insist that the laws of this country should protect the sanctity of life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.

 

The first time I participated in the March for Life was back in 1987 when as a junior I joined many of my friends in this solemn walk through the streets of DC to the steps of the U.S. Capital. I remember that march in particular because the city was hit with the worse snow storm in decades. What a sight it must have been to see a group of Cuban American boys from Miami wearing coats that wreaked of mothballs carrying signs decorated with the traditional rose logo that said things like “Stop Abortion Now” or “One Life Taken, Many Hearts Broken.” I remember that the first chance we got, we broke from the ranks to play football in the snow with an inflatable globe we bought from one of the Smithsonian museums. The marchers must have thought that we were crazy (or from Miami).

 

Now, the boys and I will find ourselves marching the same route and with the same conviction and purpose, to raise awareness in this great nation of ours that our Christian values, the very values that guided our founding fathers long ago, insist that life is sacred. Together with the young men from Belen Jesuit, we will demonstrate to our Supreme Court justices, senators, congressmen and women, and to our newly installed president, that we understand that life begins at conception and should be protected until God the Creator calls that life home, from womb to tomb.

 

Unfortunately, back home in Miami, you will probably not see our great numbers reported on CNN or The Miami Herald. You will probably not read the newer signs held by hundreds of thousands of young men and women that claim, “I Am the Pro-Life Generation.” Maybe it’s because the media will be tired of reporting massive marches filled with individuals that flock to DC from all over the country. Maybe it’s because our ranks will not be studded by major celebrities or rocks stars. Maybe it’s because the media will not hear words of protest or anger or grief. Maybe it’s because these young women and men are not “nasty” enough.

 

But don’t be mistaken. We will be there. Belen will be there. And until we know for sure that every life is protected and held as sacred to men as it is to God, we will march. Whether the sun shines or the snow falls, whether it's reported or not, no matter who sits in the White House, Belen will march.