“We cannot stay silent.”
Paxton Smith is a graduating senior at Lake Highlands High School in Texas. She's also been named valedictorian — meaning she's the highest academically achieving student of her class, and she got to give a speech at graduation.
In the now-viral speech, Paxton explains the bill before speaking to her peers about how little time six weeks is, stating that most women don't know they're pregnant by then.Speaking to BuzzFeed, Paxton said that she made the decision to throw away her pre-approved speech to talk about the recent bill about 10 days prior to graduation, discussing how she couldn't focus on an assignment because she was so upset about the bill.
Paxton then goes on to talk directly about herself and her peers, stressing the dreams they all have for the future.You can hear the audience begin to cheer at this point. Paxton told BuzzFeed that the response from her classmates and on social media, as well as from staff, has been largely positive.
She stresses how terrified she is that those dreams could be taken away, meaning her hopes, aspirations, and efforts for her future would no longer matter.While Paxton didn't participate in any political clubs in high school, she did participate in a service club that taught her what an impact just one person can have, which was part of the inspiration propelling her to give this speech.
Paxton finishes her speech talking about choosing this day to bring up this issue — on a day where people"will be the most inclined to hear a voice like mine, a woman’s voice" — because the problem cannot wait.After her speech, Paxton said that she was pulled aside by a couple of women she believes were affiliated with the school, who told her they were considering holding her diploma. However, that didn't end up happening, and she hasn't heard from the school since then.
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