News
TECHNICIAN
PAGE 3 • MONDAY, MARCH 26, 2018
March for Our Lives exemplifies student activism on international level Mary Dare Martin News Editor
Isaac Bjerkness Assistant News Editor
&
Alicia Thomas Assistant News Editor
Survivors and those affected by gun violence and mass shootings led hundreds of thousands in the March for Our Lives protest on the streets of Washington D.C. and in cities across the world Saturday to demand change in gun legislation. The March for Our Lives rally was organized by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who, in the wake of the deaths of 14 classmates and three staff members, began protesting gun violence on a national level. David Berke, the parent of Alyssa Berke who currently attends Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, said that he thinks what makes this rally different than those prior is that people are fed up with the same endless narrative. “I think at this point people have just had enough and unfortunately it happened in our community,” Berke said. “Our community is behind our kids 100 percent, so I think with the support of the parents and the strength of these children, and just the nation being tired of seeing this on the news every week, they can make change.” Ariel McLemore, an alumna of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and second-year at the University of Central Florida, said she was not surprised by the actions taken by her former classmates. “Students at Douglas, we have that capability to do that,” McLemore said. “We have a lot of smart, capable, high-achieving students that want to make a difference. It takes one shooting for it to start a movement.” Across the globe, there were more than 800 sibling marches in addition to the march on Washington D.C. Rory McCarthy, a senior at Annapolis High School in Annapolis, Maryland, said she attended March for Our Lives in D.C. because she wanted to protest in the nation’s capital. “This is the country’s capital, this is where all the big guys meet,” McCarthy said. “These are the people who make our decisions and the closer we are, the better. I support all of the sister marches but it just
SAMUEL GRIFFIN/TECHNICIAN
Protesters flooded Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. in support of the March for Our Lives, an event held on March 24 partially organized and featuring speakers from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Similar marches occurred across the United States and overseas.
so happens that I live close enough that I felt really good about being able to come to the D.C. march.” Dani Herman, a kindergarten teacher from Denver who attended the march with her infant son, said she traveled to D.C. because she wanted to see change for the safety of future generations. “I just felt like enough is enough,” Herman said. “We can’t be quiet and at this point, it’s his future, he has to be able to go to school and be safe, and, for that, it’s worth it to get on a plane and come here and show Congress that they have to do something.” The march was attended by a variety of different people including students, teachers, parents, grandparents and others who were looking to demand stricter gun laws. Many carried signs or wore the color orange, which is the official color of gun control advocacy. Tristan Jones, a junior at Findlay High School in Findlay, Ohio, said his sign reflects what he believes should be done about gun violence. “I would like to see some change that will result in saving lives and change in the mentality of people in America,” Jones said. “My sign says, ‘Kids over guns not guns over kids.’ I want to say that young people’s lives are the most important and that should be reflected in our legislation.” Anna Crisp, a teacher at Robbinsville High School in Robbinsville, North Caro-
lina, is new to teaching and has already experienced effects from the ongoing fear of school shootings in the United States. “It is my first year teaching, and I have already been involved in four school lockdowns since I started teaching in December,” Crisp said. “People teaching in the school systems and people who have kids in schools are ready for change however they can get it.” Students also shared how their experience with gun violence has impacted them, their friends and the nation as a whole. Dawson Cohen, a senior at American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida, has friends from Marjory Stoneman Douglas and has felt the impact from February’s shooting. “My school is about 15 miles away from Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and I have seen how gun violence and shootings have impacted a lot of my friends,” Cohen said. “I have friends that have friends who were killed in the shooting. It has been really difficult on the people where I am from. It has made a mark on our lives.” Many attendees wanted to show support for Parkland students, like Becca Greenhouse, a graduate student at George Washington University. She viewed her time volunteering as a way of honoring those impacted by gun violence in schools. “I think that volunteering is just one of the ways to show support not only for
Parkland students, but students in general,” Greenhouse said. “I think it is amazing that something this large of a scale was put on by students. It’s not only a response but tells of bravery and courage of this generation. They are fighting for our country, and that is amazing.” Protesters heard from speakers at the march who are survived the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School including Jaclyn Corin, David Hogg, Sarah Chadwick and more. Other speakers affected by gun violence, two as young as 11, shared stories of their experiences with gun violence and demanded that action be taken to prevent it in the future. Celebrity musical guests also performed, including Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson and Miley Cyrus. Emma Gonzalez, who was the last Parkland student speaker at the event, said that it only took six minutes and 20 seconds for the shooter to alter the lives of the community forever. After she spoke, she remained on stage for four minutes in silence. “Since the time that I came out here, it has been six minutes and 20 seconds,” Gonzalez said, breaking her silence. “The shooter has ceased shooting, and will soon abandon his rifle, blend in with the students as they escape, and walk free for an hour before arrest. Fight for your lives before it’s someone else’s job.”
