March for Our Lives

Junior Cameron Kasky

Photo by Suzanna Barna

Trevon Bosley

Photo by Suzanna Barna

Senior Delaney Tarr

Photo by Suzanna Barna

Junior Sarah Chadwick

Photo by Suzanna Barna

Edna Chavez

Photo by Suzanna Barna

Final Moments of the Washington D.C. March for Our Lives

Photo by Suzanna Barna

Matt Post

Photo by Suzanna Barna

D’Angelo McDade

Photo by Suzanna Barna

Junior Jaclyn Corin

Photo by Suzanna Barna

Senior Ryan Deitsch

Photo by Suzanna Barna

Aalayah Eastmond

Photo by Suzanna Barna

Junior Alex Wind

Photo by Suzanna Barna

Zion Kelly

Photo by Suzanna Barna

Senior David Hogg

Photo by Suzanna Barna

Naomi Wadler

Photo by Suzanna Barna

Mya Middleton

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Final Moments of Washington D.C March for Our Lives

Photo by Suzanna Barna

Senior Samantha Fuentes

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Yolanda Renee King & Junior Jaclyn Corin

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Matthew Soto

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Jackson Mittleman

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Senior Emma Gonzalez

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March For Our Lives

March for Our Lives in Washington D.C. becomes one of the largest marches in American history

Story by Christy Ma

In the midst of an unexpected tragedy that occurred on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s campus on Valentine’s Day, activism and leadership arose, giving hope to many in the Parkland community and around the world for a safer future. On March 24, 2018 the organization March for Our Lives, which was created after the MSD shooting, created a worldwide movement gathering hundreds of thousands of people to demand new gun reform legislation and take a stance on rampant gun violence in America.

The main march in Washington D.C. was immediately filled to the brim on Pennsylvania Avenue with march participants advocating for changes in America’s gun laws. It was a cold, but bright day in D.C., permitting people from all over the country to gather in front of the United States Capitol with one voice. The Washington D.C. march was originally projected to have 500,000 participants, similar to the Women’s March held prior to March 24. Instead, there were over 800,000 people in attendance on Pennsylvania Avenue, breaking historical records.

“We had to double our permits,” senior Emma Gonzalez said. “We were going to 12th Street, and I think we went to 14th, which is like twice as far away.” Early on in the march, participants were unable to move further due to the density, but speakers and large screens were provided along the street for those who were unable to directly see the stage ahead.

In order to gain such large-scale attention on the gun debate, MSD students of all grades looked to social media outlets, such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, to voice their opinions on the hot topic of gun reform. Students like seniors David Hogg and Delaney Tarr and junior Sarah Chadwick have successfully gained hundreds of thousands of followers on their Twitter profiles and raised awareness on the debate of gun control.

The outspoken students of MSD created the March For Our Lives movement in junior Cameron Kasky’s living room and announced the date of the march to the public just four days after the shooting, catching attention from all over the world.

“Cameron Kasky originally had the idea of creating a march, and he said he wanted it to be as big as the Women’s March, and we were like ‘that’s a lot Cameron,’” Chadwick said. “Then we got in contact with Deena Katz, one of the organizers of the Women’s March, and she said ‘I’ll help you with this.

I believe in this cause,’ and then we started spreading the word about March 24, and we got donations after donations, which helped put on the really expensive march.”

According to the website, the march’s mission statement is to “assure that no special interest group or political agenda is more critical than timely passage of legislation to effectively address the gun violence issues that are rampant in our country.”

The creators of the March For Our Lives initiative have explicitly stated on their website that they are working toward universal, comprehensive background checks, giving the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives a digitized, searchable database. They are also working to provide funds for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research the gun violence epidemic and advocate for the banning of high-capacity magazines and assault weapons.

In order to achieve such goals in America, MSD students and students across the country planned for the worldwide March For Our Lives that would take place only a week after the one-month anniversary of the shooting in Parkland.

“It was very difficult and confusing a lot of the times because we’ve never done it before. We can’t do a lot of things ourselves because we’re not 21; a lot of us aren’t even 18 yet,” Gonzalez said. “We had people to help us [with legal issues], but we knew what we were doing. The sibling marches was just about the best part… it was all over the globe.”

Although March For Our Lives received financial support from thousands around the world, including public figures such as George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey, the message was delivered through speeches solely by students affected by gun violence in order to show that America’s youth is taking the lead in this movement.

“It’s important to remember that we are a grassroots movement; we are started by students, and it is led by students,” Chadwick said. “We do have a bunch of major companies and adults offering their help to us, and we’ll take the help that we need, but we’re not going to let them control us, as in tell us what to do and what not to do, because this is our movement.”

Organizers invited celebrities such as Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ben Platt to sing inspirational and uplifting songs, but reserved speeches to youth like senior Ryan Deitsch, 11-year-old Naomi Wadler and 17-year-old Zion Kelly.

Leaders of March For Our Lives wanted not only Parkland students to speak, but also students from cities like Los Angeles and Chicago who have to face gun violence on a daily basis, but never had the platform or opportunity to vocalize their pain.

“I have lived in South L.A. my entire life and have lost many loved ones to gun violence,” Manual Arts High School senior Edna Chavez said in her speech. “I learned how to duck from bullets before I learned how to read.”

The addition of people outside of Parkland was done on purpose to exemplify the fact that gun violence is prevalent in all of America, not just where it is reported from on newspaper headlines. There was a designated section in front of the stage for MSD families and staff, as well as victims of gun violence from Chicago andWashington D.C.

“Everyone who spoke at the march is absolutely incredible,” junior Alex Wind said. “I think that what we needed to do was show each aspect of gun violence and how it affected everyone. There were kids there who deal with gun violence on a daily basis, and we needed to show that gun violence isn’t just in schools; it’s everywhere.”

With the march in the past, March For Our Lives movement leaders are currently urging Americans to stay informed and to register to vote for the next midterm elections in November. Although it is a difficult task, students are determined to flip the norm of low voter turnouts during the midterm elections and vote the politicians who do not want gun reform out.

“Everything that happened on March 24 means nothing unless we actually get out there and vote,” Wind said. “We marched on Washington, and now we need to march to the polls because that’s where we’ll actually make our voices heard, and that’s where we’ll really show politicians that we’re not messing around.”

According to a CNN article, millennials in 2018 will surpass baby boomers as the largest generation of Americans eligible to vote. With millions of new voters qualified to take on the polls, the March For Our Lives will work hard to increase voter turnout in order to see changes made for gun policies in America.

Behind the Scenes

Singing and Supporting. Miley Cyrus chats with MSD students at the March For Our Lives event in Washington D.C.

Photo by Kevin Trejos

Backstage Bonding. March For Our Lives leaders prepare before their speeches.

Photo by Kevin Trejos

Speaking Out. Students of MSD sit on stage during the speeches.

Photo by Kevin Trejos

Words into Action

Photo by Suzanna Barna

Photo by Emma Dowd

Photo by Rebecca Schneid

Photo by Emma Dowd

Photo by Emma Dowd

Photo by Rebecca Schneid

Crowds fill the streets in Washington, D.C.

Photo by Suzanna Barna

Parkland Pride

Speaking Up. Junior Adam Buchwald speaks in front of the march attendees in Parkland, Florida to honor the victims of Feb. 14 and call for change.

Photo by Kyra Parrow

City of Parkland and MSD students organize a March For Our Lives, walking from Pine Trails Park to MSD

On March 24, the City of Parkland hosted one of 800 sibling marches for March for Our Lives. The march began at 10 a.m. when the Parkland community was joined by thousands of marchers from around South Florida who gathered at Pine Trails Park to participate. Nearly 30,000 people were in attendance to advocate for change for the community and country.

Before marching to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the event featured about a dozen speakers, consisting of students, members of the community, and family members of the victims from the Feb. 14 shooting. No politicians spoke in order to keep the message centralized on the students and victims’ families, rather than on politics and partisan issues.

Everytown for Gun Safety, a New York-based nonprofit organization that merges Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, Mayors Against Illegal Guns and other advocates for gun safety, donated funds to cover all expenses for the Parkland March For Our Lives.

These funds paid for expenses including the shuttles from parking spots across South Florida, off site parking personnel, law enforcement and fire rescue and water supply.

Junior Adam Buchwald, co-founder of Parents Promise to Kids, opened the day’s speeches, introducing the march and exciting the crowd for the monumental and sentimental speakers and events for the day.

Other speakers included freshman Daniel Tabares, junior Samantha Mayor and Tony Montalto, father of Gina Montalto. Tabares concluded his speech by asking the crowd to repeat the phrase, “Be positive, be passionate and be proud to be an eagle,” each day to remember MSD’s motto as a lifelong lesson. He also called for everyone in the audience to hug the person besides them “as if there’s no tomorrow,” pleading with the crowd to appreciate their neighbors.

Mayor, one of the injured students from the shooting, braved the stage and spoke to the crowd about the necessity to protect children while they attend school.

“A murderer should not have been able to enter the hallway and shoot through the window of our classroom,” Mayor said in her speech.

Tony Montalto recounted his daughter’s life and his vision for compromise in legislation to result from his and his family’s loss.

“Gina was a smart kid with a kind heart,” Tony Montalto said. “We felt she was destined to change the world. And through this movement, she may do just that.”

Gina’s younger brother, Anthony Montalto, stood alongside his father with a poster of Gina that read at the top, “My sister could not make it here today. I’m here for her.”

Good for Gina. Anthony and Tony Montalto hold a poster honoring Gina Montalto.

Photo courtesy of Ian Witlen

Max Schachter, father of Alex Schachter, spoke at the march as well. As a prominent parent who has been lobbying legislators and communities, Max spoke about the strength of the community for rising up and about his goals for school safety and gun reform for the future.

All for Alex. Max Schachter speaks at the Parkland March For Our Lives to honor the life of his son, Alex Schachter, and to advocate for a change in legislation related to school safety and gun reform to protect all children of America.

Photo by Kyra Parrow

About eight students who had not yet found a prominent platform gave a speech as a group with individual segments in which they shared their thoughts. Behind them on stage were 17 students who each represented one victim they held dear.

“This was the most symbolic moment of the entire day, having one friend or loved one of each of the 17 come up on stage and give their name and who they march for,” junior Casey Sherman said.

The march held different meanings for every person, but ultimately, the march served as a form of coping and healing, symbolizing the progress of the community to move forward and overcome evil since the tragedy.

“It was important for me to march because I left the darkness of my room that was full of anger and grief, and I marched for a better future for all of us,” Tabares said. “There are so many other reasons that I marched, like finding my voice, finding the social part of my life and showing the love I have to our beloved home, MSD.”

For senior Seth Albert, he felt the march encompassed the one goal that he believes needs to follow in the aftermath of the shooting.

“We have one goal, one mission, and that is to put an end to gun violence,” Albert said.

By noon, the speeches concluded, and the actual march began. People filled the road as the marchers poured out of Pine Trails Park and began their walk to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of the Valentine’s Day shooting.

March Forth. Parkland March For Our Lives student organizers lead the march from Pine Trails park to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Photo courtesy of Ian Witlen

“There was a strong sense of community united against a common front with one goal: lasting change,” junior Olivia Worthington said.

Therapy dogs roamed throughout the crowd and helped anyone who needed comfort. The community marched. The crowds shouted various chants including, “enough is enough,” “never again” and “we are MSD.”

“It was really crowded and really exciting. There was a Native American woman who banged on a drum in tune to the chants of the crowd,” junior Isabella Pfeiffer said.

Is This Our Future? Junior Daniela Santiago holds her poster related to the normalization of shootings.

Photo by Kyra Parrow

The marchers remained vocal and energized until they reached the high school where the crowds fell silent to pay their respects to the victims as they passed the memorials that were laid out in front of the school.

The course for the march was approximately 3 miles long in total, including the walk back to Pine Trails Park.

The march’s student-led planners started organizing the event with only weeks left until March 24. In fact, the student leaders of the Parkland March for Our Lives attended the city of Parkland’s Commission meeting to ask for the community to officially approve the plans for a march, so they could begin the details of organization.

No NRA Money. Senior Cole Sumner shows his sign directed to the National Rifle Association.

Photo by Kyra Parrow

Sherman was the main student organizer for many aspects of the march, including delegating the tasks, approving final decisions and creating the schedule for the speeches and activities of the day.

“The day was incredible, and I would not have had a single moment go any differently,” Sherman said.

Samantha Novick, daughter of DECA teacher Sharon Cutler and Parkland City Commissioner Ken Cutler, greatly contributed to the planning of the march and was the most involved adult contributor, according to Sherman. Sherman and her other fellow organizers, including sophomore Sari Kaufman and juniors Alyssa Fletcher, Lydia Moreno and Kosha Patel, coordinated location drop off points, the speech lineup and the stage and set up the stage in the park in less than two weeks.

After two weeks of planning, March 24 arrived. March For Our Lives ran smoothly as the Parkland community and surrounding areas came out to support the grieving community that has united to call for political action in response to the tragedy they endured, asking for school safety and gun reform for the protection of every child in America. Story by Suzanna Barna