What would be your reaction if I told you that your local police had opened fire on a bunch of protesting teachers? How would you feel if the men and women that are supposed to be protecting you were the ones harming you? And how would you feel if your government officials tried to circumvent the real problems after something like this had occurred? You'd be pretty upset, hurt, and in utter disbelief that something this fatal could occur. You would want something to be done.

On Sunday, June 19, Police opened fire on protesters in Oaxaca, Mexico. These protesters were none other than teachers that had been on strike, standing up against their governments's imposition on a regressive federal education reform law. These teachers are in opposition to this reform law because they believe it violates their labor rights. President Enrique Pena Nieto has stated that he is doing everything in his power to take action and lawfully find a solution to the conflict.

Regardless of what this conflict is about or why the police found it necessary to open fire on a crowd of 500 people, killing 8, the underlying problem is that 8 people were killed and many more were wounded and barely anybody has even heard of this struggle and this loss of life that has happened in Oaxaca.

Today I was talking to a coworker who had just returned from spending two weeks in Mexico. She asked me if I had heard of Oaxaca and I had, but when she asked our other coworkers, they had no idea what was going on. Now I surly don't know all of the facts or the complete story, but I believe that this incident needs to be brought to light. News agencies around the world should be reporting on this and sharing this story. Just because it happened in Mexico this time, doesn't mean that another country may not face the same struggle tomorrow or a year down the road. Oaxaca deserves to be known in the United States and across the world. The victims of this massacre, killed and wounded, deserve support from around the world in the same way that other countries received it after terrorist attacks.

I have not once seen or heard anything about this painful event on the news or the radio. I have not seen anything about Oaxaca on any social media outlet that I frequent, and this is a problem. Oaxaca deserves to be known about. Human lives were lost and survivors will forever remember the horrific sounds of gunfire and terror that they experieced while standing up for their rights and their beliefs.

We need to take a step back and give respect to all tragedies no matter where they occur and who is involved. We are all human and we all deserve the same amount of respect and care in times of need and sadness.