Is carefree childhood too much to ask? Well apparently for generation Z it is; a cohort of Americans, born after 1999 who are in middle and high school now are living in a constant fear of uncertainty.
March For Our Lives created inspired and, led by students across the country, brought thousands to the streets of Washington, D.C, on March 24, to demand that safety becomes a priority. Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida ― where 17 people were killed last month, used this forum to raise collective voices against gun violence.
Gun violence is nothing new in the U.S.A; neither is school shootings. Since 2013, there have been 291 school shootings in the U.S, which averages out to about one every week, as per the gun safety group. Last year, 65 shootings were reported at schools and universities.
Gun Violence is a cross-generational issue, which has repeatedly been protested in the past. But generation Z, who came of age in the era of cable news and social media, and is extremely savvy about the workings of the American media, is using it to engage a very diverse group of supporters. “It’s about amplifying the voices of current students,” Lysee Webb, who graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2003 and now lives in Brooklyn, said.
More than 800 “sibling marches” were carried out worldwide, from Maui to Lincoln, Nebraska, to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to Hong Kong. Here are some of the highlights of March in D.C televised event:
These personal stories are what makes this movement so powerful.
It’s not the first time the gun control debate is taking center stage between The Second Amendment[1] wing and the advocates of ‘March for Our Lives’ with #GunControlNow. March for Our Lives’ is only the beginning but at least the efforts have reignited the debate, and hopefully this time we will reach a rational conclusion for the sake of future generations.
[1] “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
March For Our Lives created inspired and, led by students across the country, brought thousands to the streets of Washington, D.C, on March 24, to demand that safety becomes a priority. Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida ― where 17 people were killed last month, used this forum to raise collective voices against gun violence.
Gun violence is nothing new in the U.S.A; neither is school shootings. Since 2013, there have been 291 school shootings in the U.S, which averages out to about one every week, as per the gun safety group. Last year, 65 shootings were reported at schools and universities.
Gun Violence is a cross-generational issue, which has repeatedly been protested in the past. But generation Z, who came of age in the era of cable news and social media, and is extremely savvy about the workings of the American media, is using it to engage a very diverse group of supporters. “It’s about amplifying the voices of current students,” Lysee Webb, who graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2003 and now lives in Brooklyn, said.
More than 800 “sibling marches” were carried out worldwide, from Maui to Lincoln, Nebraska, to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to Hong Kong. Here are some of the highlights of March in D.C televised event:
- Power of Silence: Emma Gonzalez, a student activist and Parkland shooting survivor, described how in six minutes and 20 seconds, the school shooter killed 17 people and injured 14 others.
- “I have a dream that enough is enough,”: Yolanda King, 9, granddaughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior spoke at the event and referenced her grandfather’s famous “I have a dream” speech in calling for a “gun-free world.”
- Naomi Wadler, an 11-year-old activist, from Virginia, represented women of color, who are more likely to see gun violence during their lifetimes.
These personal stories are what makes this movement so powerful.
It’s not the first time the gun control debate is taking center stage between The Second Amendment[1] wing and the advocates of ‘March for Our Lives’ with #GunControlNow. March for Our Lives’ is only the beginning but at least the efforts have reignited the debate, and hopefully this time we will reach a rational conclusion for the sake of future generations.
[1] “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
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