Highlights From Saturday's March For Our Lives:
By: Kayla Pasacreta
On Saturday morning, thousands of Americans sent a strong message to Congress: get serious about passing gun legislation, or get voted out. The March for Our Lives movement, sparked by the Parkland school shooting that killed 17, was able to unite thousands of people from all over to post from gun control. The event in D.C. was also joined by a massive 800 other events in solidarity across the country. The march in Washington D.C. brought in over 850,000 people, which ironically trumps the numbers of Trump's inauguration.
March for Our Lives, photo via Twitter
David Hogg, photo via Reuters
Parkland survivor David Hogg vowed to use his white privilege to fight to make sure all voices are heard in the cry for gun control.
While the country has largely united and resonated with the Parkland movement, there was an elephant in the room: why weren't black kids who protested police brutality and gun violence in their communities afforded the same press and Twitter verifications? Hogg's acknowledgement of his privilege is refreshing, and yet another reminder that the kid is ahead of his time!
Emma Gonzalez led an emotional 6 minutes of silence to symbolize the amount of time it took for the Parkland shooter to take 17 lives.
Student activist Emma Gonzalez, who time and time again has proven to almost be born for activism, made a compelling speech to commemorate the victims of the Parkland shooting. Gonzalez stated in her speech, "Everyone who was there understands. Everyone who has been touched by the cold grip of gun violence understands. For us, long, tearful, chaotic hours in the scorching afternoon sun were spent not knowing. No one understood the extent of what had happened." Watch the full speech!
Naomi Wadler.
Naomi Wadler, an 11-year-old, gave a powerful and impressive speech to honor the unseen black victims of gun violence, "I am here to represent the African-American girls whose stories don't make the front page of every national newspaper...whose stories don't lead on the evening news." Talk about shedding light on the importance of inclusion! Naomi Wadler helps restore faith that the future is indeed in good hands.
“This march is not the climax. It’s the beginning.”
Parkland student activist Cameron Kasky implored people to brace for the ride, "Welcome to the revolution." He continued to tell politicians he means business, "Politicians, either represent the people or get out. Stand for us or beware: The voters are coming,”
Each Parkland student wore a $1.05 price tag to point out how much money Florida senator Marco Rubio receives from the NRA.
photo via Twitter
The students divided the $3,303,355 amount Rubio receives from the NRA amongst themselves, to symbolize how little their lives are worth to the government.
Check out some of our favorite signs from the protest:
