March 14, 2018 | Kenneth Best - UConn Communications

The Parkland School Shooting: Keeping Memory Alive

'These days, people often think not just of permanent memorials on the ground, but of living memorials, efforts that will serve as education, that will motivate change,' says Ken Foote, a geography professor who studies the aftereffects of tragedy.

Today, students all over the country took part in 17-minute protests, one minute for each person who died in the high school massacre in Parkland, Florida. In this photo, students protest in front of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) office to urge Congress into changing gun laws on March 7 in Washington, D.C. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Today, students all over the country took part in 17-minute-long protests, one minute for each person who died in the high school massacre in Parkland, Florida. In this photo, students protest in front of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) office to urge Congress into changing gun laws on March 7 in Washington, D.C. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

 

Ken Foote, a geographer who studies the aftereffects of tragedy, talks with Ken Best after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, for the UConn360 podcast.

“It’s important in the very first few days, weeks, months to set the tone for what comes next,” Foote says. “These days, people often think not just of permanent memorials on the ground, but of living memorials, efforts that will serve as education, that will motivate change.”

Author of the book, “Shadowed Ground: American Landscapes of Violence and Tragedy,” last year Foote discussed the aftermath of the shootings in Las Vegas during the country music concert at Mandalay Bay for a UConn Today piece.

To listen to the rest of the podcast, or subscribe to the series, go to UConn360-podcast.

Read more: Should the Vegas Mass Murder be Memorialized?