The National Day of Silence brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. Every six hours of every day someone is been violently attacked for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. Hundreds of thousands of students including our very own UNH students came together on April 17 to encourage schools and classmates to address the problem of anti-LGBT behavior. Hundreds of thousands of students participated by taking some form of a vow of silence for the entire day or part of it. Together, concerned students created a powerful call to action in order to prevent future tragedies: www.dayofsilence.org.
UNH students handed out speaking cards that read:
“Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence, a national youth movement protesting the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies in schools. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by harassment, prejudice, and discrimination. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today. What are you going to do to end the silence?”
You also might have seen students in red shirts or students with tape on their mouths as a visual reminder of the meaning behind the day.
Thank you to our UNH volunteers:
1. Shawn Tremblay
2. Amy Langlois
3. Shana Clore
4. Caitlin Predom
5. Ashley Johnson
6. Billy Fogarty
7. Erica Tetreault
8. Carole McFaddan
9. Cori Barboza
10. Heather Thompson
11. Kate Murray
12. Steph Morra
13. Gianna Doukas
14. Tyler Salovin
15. Jaqulyn Bartomioli
16. Brianna Costello
17. Amanda Wilson
18. Jay Dressler
19. Michelle Morra
20. Chris Jones
21. Jen Cellar
22. Stephanie Casto
23. Heather Ladutko
24. Jess Vogt
25. Stephanie Usseglio
26. Jen Cross
27. Brianna Graham
28. Mike Radcliffe
29. Samantha Carroll
30. Heather Thompson
31. Kayley Guyette
32. Tarryn Petrillo
33. Maegan Puzas
34. Jes Alexander
35. Minnie Thaker
36. Carmen Paulino
37. Alison Mahony
38. Charlotte Billings
39. Jackie Hudak
40. Evelyna Avanesian
41. Marisa DiGiuseppe
42. Amanda Mastropietro
43. Alice Aleksandrovich
44. Amanda Wilson
45. Regina Trujillo
46. Amanda DeBiase
47. Stephanie Leschen
48. Jeanine DeVivo
49. Megan Scanlan
50. Maegan Puzas
51. Bethany Hanson
52. Daniel Markwat
53. Helin Puchi
54. Ashley Cesarano
55. Felicia Brunetti
56. Caity Boland
57. Steven Edick
58. Catherine Raiti
59. Gabirela Sacchi
60. Kateri Michaud
61. Erin Provost
62. Jon Bouchard
63. Mark Kicher
64. Peter Kazlas
65. Meaghan Groody
66. Michael Petras
67. Alyssa Marsico
68. Joiah Ladson
69. Kayla Rios
70. Christine Nitzke