A History of Activism at MSD

Story by Anna Dittman

Her Legacy Lives On

The activist spirit of environmentalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas continues through the students of MSD

Marjory Stoneman Douglas was a journalist, activist and well known environmentalist. She not only impacted Florida in her relentless fight to save the Everglades, but also with her strong demeanor and outspoken support for women’s suffrage and the civil rights movement. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School carries not just her name, but her spirit, as the students use their voices to speak their stories and fight for change.

Stoneman Douglas was born on April 7, 1890 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and moved to Miami in 1915. Her father, Frank Stoneman, became the owner and executive director of the Miami Herald. Stoneman Douglas worked as the society editor for the paper, which ignited her love for writing.

From 1918 to 1920, Stoneman Douglas traveled to France and Italy while volunteering for the Red Cross during World War I. Even when she was busy with her volunteer work, she still made time to write articles for the Miami Herald. Her writing was dedicated to the work and accomplishments made by the Red Cross in Europe.

“... I found what I was meant to do, even if it was as simple as writing society blurbs in a small city newspaper,” Stoneman Douglas said in her novel “Voice of the River.” “I didn’t care what I was writing about as long as it was writing. It was a great leap forward in my individuality.”

When she returned to Miami, Stoneman Douglas created “The Galley,” a column in the Miami Herald in which she expressed her ideas, ranging from the environment to women’s and laborers’ rights. She continued to write short stories and narratives after leaving the Herald in 1922, in addition to working at the University of Miami as a short story coach and associate professor of English form until 1933.

Along with her history of writing, Stoneman Douglas was invested in Florida’s landscape. Nicknamed the “Grande Dame of the Everglades,” she became known for her passion for the environment. In 1947, the same year the Everglades became a national park, she

published her most successful novel, “The Everglades: River of Grass.” Through her vivid imagery of the Everglades, she impacted others’ views of the landscape by revealing its importance to wildlife and why it must be preserved.

“There are no other Everglades in the world. They are, they have always been, one of the unique regions of the earth, remote, never wholly known. Nothing anywhere else is like them...” Stoneman Douglas said in “The Everglades: River of Grass.”

Stoneman Douglas’ attribution of the Everglades as “The River of Grass” is depicted in her book through her descriptions of the area.

“The miracle of the light pours over the green and brown expanse of saw grass and of water, shining and slowmoving below, the grass and water that is the meaning and the central fact of the Everglades of Florida. It is a river of grass,” Stoneman Douglas said in the novel.

As Stoneman Douglas grew older, her fight to conserve the Everglades persisted through her constant research and compelling speeches. In 1969, at the age of 79, Stoneman Douglas founded the environmentalist group, “Friends of the Everglades,” which helped to stop the construction of an airstrip set to be built in the middle of the Everglades. The organization continues to uphold the importance of the Everglades and advocates for better environmental laws, as Stoneman Douglas has originally hoped.

“Since 1972, I’ve been going around making speeches on the Everglades,” Stoneman Douglas said. “No matter how poor my eyes are, I can still talk. I’ll talk about the Everglades at the drop of a hat. Whoever wants me to talk, I’ll come over and tell them about the necessity of preserving the Everglades,” Stoneman Douglas said in her autobiography.

Because of her effective accomplishments on the environment and community, Stoneman Douglas has become a well-known figure in Florida and across the country. In the 1950s, she was given the Thomas Barbour Medal for Conservation. In 1986, the National Parks Conservation Association created the “Marjory Stoneman Douglas Award”

for others that fight to protect the environment. In 1993, former President Bill Clinton awarded Stoneman Douglas the Presidential Medal of Honor.

“Her advocacy on behalf of the Everglades in Florida long before there was ever an Earth Day is legendary. It has been an inspiration to generations of conservationists, environmentalists and preservationists throughout our Nation and especially to my administration,” Clinton said during the award presentation. “Beyond Florida, Marjory Stoneman Douglas is a mentor for all who desire to preserve what we southerners affectionately call ‘a sense of place.’ And Mrs. Douglas, the next time I hear someone mention the timeless wonders and powers of Mother Nature, I’ll be thinking about you.”

In Parkland, Florida, in 1990, a new high school was built and given the name Marjory Stoneman Douglas to honor her legacy as a prominent figure in the Everglades and her persistent activism.

After years of service for the environment and her community, Stoneman Douglas passed on May 14, 1998 at the age of 108 at her home in Coconut Grove, Florida.

Her passion continues to live on in the students of the school named after her. Because of the tragedy that occurred on Feb. 14, 2018, students have begun to fight, advocating for stricter gun laws and effective protection for schools.

Senior Hannah Karcinell is fighting in this movement for the victims at MSD and others that have lost their family and friends to gun violence, as well as the change it will bring. She and other students reflect their candor and spirit through their activism as they represent Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ namesake.

“Marjory’s activism has inspired me a lot,” Karcinell said. “Many of her quotes are extremely relevant to the situation we are going through. I think she has become a role model for many of my classmates and I in regard to our activism. She has greatly influenced us simply because of the persistence and determination that she demonstrates within her activism.” Her courage reflected through the students as they have found and continue

to find ways to share their voice. When Stoneman Douglas founded “Friends of the Everglades,” she gave a series of speeches and spread the word of her accomplishments across the country. Similarly, students have been speaking out to news platforms and giving speeches at rallies. They have also reached out to politicians, proposed new laws and have been actively discussing their ideas with leaders to spread their message.

“Be a nuisance where it counts, but don’t be a bore at any time… Do your part to inform and stimulate the public to join your action...” Stoneman Douglas said in a passage entitled “How You Can Protect the Environment” published in the journal GeoJourney. “Be depressed, discouraged and disappointed at failure and the disheartening effects of ignorance, greed, corruption and bad politics — but never give up.”

Even after her death, her story continues to inspire others to find what makes them inspired.

“You have to stand up for some things in this world,” Stoneman Douglas said.

As a result of their determination for gun control and safer schools, the students of MSD have caused lawmakers, leaders and the world to listen. Embodying the spirit of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the students will carry her legacy with them as they hold the name of their school with pride in their fight for change.

In a 1994 file photo, Marjory Stoneman Douglas sits at home with her cat Willie. Photo courtesy of Marice Cohen Band/The Miami Herald/TNS

IN HER WORDS

Speak up. Learn to talk clearly and forcefully in public. Speak simply and not too long at a time, without over-emotion, always from sound preparation and knowledge.

Be a nuisance where it counts, but don’t be a bore at anytime... Do your part to inform and stimulate the public to join your action...

Be depressed, discouraged and disappointed at failure and the disheartening effects of ignorance, greed, corruption and bad politics — but never give up.