Meet Sarayu and Katie Bellary and Chou | Chapter leaders of March For Our Lives Dallas

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarayu and Katie Bellary and Chou and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarayu and Katie, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
We believe taking risks and overcoming that barrier of fear is what has gotten us so far and is what drives us. Taking risks can help break a cycle of stagnation. It encourages individuals to step outside their comfort zones and pursue new possibilities. By embracing calculated risks, one can avoid getting stuck in the same cycle they have been in and be successful by embracing new approaches to things. Risk has played a big role in our work for March For Our Lives. We are both simply seventeen year olds who are passionate about this issue, and would do anything to fight for a tangible solution; however, it can be hard to take that next step and face the unknown outcomes. In the end though, we seek taking risks because we know that stepping out of our comfort zones may very well be the only way to actually see change. Citizens grow comfortable and complacent with the futile laws that their politicians implement, due to the fear of what fighting back may entail. But fighting back and making our voices heard is what draws the attention of people in power and pushes them to implement a change in their laws.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
March For Our Lives is the largest youth led organization against gun violence. It was started by mere high schoolers after the MSD Shooting in Parkland, Florida, but now look at us and how much we have grown. We have held numerous rallies protesting the implementation of loose gun laws, registered thousands of voters, and lobbied many elected officials and spoken to them about our grievances and concerns. We are important and different in the fact that we carry history. In the 70s and 80s, high schoolers took action and spoke out against the Vietnam war. They were able to push the voting age from 21 to 18. Although our messages are very different, it’s in the same realm that the youth is gathered together to the point where politicians can’t ignore us anymore.
Lesson wise, I think the one thing that we’ve learned is that patience is everything when fighting for action. At the end of the day when shootings happen, we want immediate change, but immediate change takes time. We want to mobilize people, but mobilizing takes time. What we have learned after being involved in this movement is to trust the process, and always keep on pushing forward. You really have to believe that the arc bends towards justice.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First of, we would start off our day by doing breakfast/brunch at LaLa Land Kind Cafe! They have the BEST treats and oat milk lattes. Then, we could go to Bishop Arts District to explore the funky shops they have there. From cow boy boots to artwork, shopping in Dallas is always worth it. Next if it were in season, we would take our friends to an SMU football game. And then to end off the day, have some dinner at Sister restaurant in DFW!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We would like to dedicate our shoutout to our friends Ariel, Serena, and Mikah at national. These guys have been so helpful in aiding us with events, and have given us so much thoughtful advice. We owe so much of our success to them. Additionally, we want to thank the people who have actually come out and mobilized for March. You guys drive this movement and are the reason we have been so successful with everything we do!

Website: https://www.marchforourlivesdtx.com/

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Image Credits
Sarayu Bellary, Katie Chou, Mike Chou