February 15, 2023
Photo courtesy of Imaan Bokhari\
Months after the Highland Park shootings, members of SALT visited Washington as part of a national effort to combat gun violence. Photo courtesy of Imaan Bokhari.
Imaan Bokhari, a junior at Highland Park High School, was working as a counselor for a children’s summer camp during the July Fourth shooting.
“I heard gunshots, but I didn’t see anything, I just remember hearing that there’s a shooting and that everyone should run,” said Bokhari.
The fatal tragedy devastated the Highland Park community. However, it also sparked her and many others to speak out against gun violence and advocate for change.
Bokhari is an intern for community organization SALT, which stands for Service and Learning Together. Though she’s worked with SALT since 8th grade, Bokhari highlighted her leadership by delivering shirts and other apparel featuring the “Highland Park Strong” slogans. The shirts were free, yet the group raised about $55,000 through optional donations.
SALT’s designs also aimed to spread awareness about victims of the shooting. Many shirts included messaging in Spanish, as the Hispanic population in Highland Park and Highwood is approximately 10% and 36%, respectively.
Bokhari believes it was important for the organization to recognize these demographics in relation to the shooting that “not many people are aware of,” she said.
In early December, only five months after July Fourth, Bokhari was selected along with three others to travel in an all-expenses covered trip to Washington, D.C, due to her hard work and activism.
SALT was given the honor to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National Arlington Cemetery in remembrance of the victims of the tragedy. Additionally, they talked to Illinois Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin, as well as local representative Congressman Brad Schneider.
“We talked to them about their views [on gun violence], what they’re doing to help, and how they’re representing the people of Highland Park in congress,” said Bokhari. “It was really refreshing to hear them listening to us taking our suggestions, and validating our feelings, since before, they were just figures I saw on TV.”
Bokhari felt satisfied with her time in D.C. However, it wasn’t until after the trip that she realized the impact of her involvement with SALT. Two weeks after their trip, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the Illinois Protect Communities Act, which banned the distribution of assault weapons.
“Even though there’s a much longer process to passing laws, I still felt honored that maybe our voices helped contribute to the change,” said Bokhari.
However, Bokhari still sees the implications of the shooting in her community seven months later.
“Even just the loud noises trigger people, including myself. A lot of people are still shaken up. I still sometimes picture the umbrellas, shoes, and toys that people left at the parade,” she said.
Despite many survivors’ trauma, Bokhari is still motivated to advocate for her community and progress gun violence legislation.
“It’s obviously a sensitive issue, but I’m proud to be a part of a generation that wants to make change,” said Bokhari.
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