The March for Our Lives involved several states within the United States on Saturday afternoon. This protest movement, for gun safety, created by students who survived the Parkland mass shooting, included toddlers, grandmas, movie stars, and even nuns.

March for Our Lives occurred worldwide

Kids in Alaska wore screen-printed T-shirts that had bullseyes on them. Arkansas protesters carried signs that read “Protect Kids, Not Guns” while the streets in California were flooded, in every town, with their own protesters. The snow in Michigan did not even slow down the crowd of people protesting for better protection of students in schools.

The crowd in Washington D.C. was estimated to be around 200,000 people by 1 PM which almost met the historical record-breaking crowd size of the 2017 Women’s March with a total of 440,000 people. CBS news informs us that Martin Luther King Jr.’s granddaughter, Yolanda Renee King, even gave a speech informing the crowd of her own dream that “enough is enough. This should be a gun-free world. Period.” Jaclyn Corin, a survivor from the Parkland massacre included, after King, to “keep screaming at your congressmen. Don’t be afraid because they have senator in front of their name”. Delaney Tarr, another survivor declared “we will continue to fight for our dead friends.”

Maya McEntyre, a freshman from Northville, Michigan informed ABC news that she is “really tired of being afraid at school.

When I come to school, I don’t want to have to look for the nearest exit. I want to get to the problem before it gets to me.” This protesting movement has not only gone viral, but it has become an expression that the world is demanding to be heard. Better protection for schools is needed. It is the law that each child in the United States attends school, yet students who attend public schools end up worrying about making it home each day.

In 2017, the U.S. Department of Education expected 50.7 million students to attend public schools, which equals an outstanding number of student who must worry about their safety. If the law is to require each child to attend school, then it is up to the law to provide the protection of each child attending. The March for Our Lives group has their own website which contains a petition allowing anyone to sign if they were unable to make it to the world-wide protesting march.

Celebrities showing their support

Celebrities have shown their support by donating to the protest. Taylor Swift donated because she believes no one should have to worry about their safety in any public environment. George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey also donated a matching total of $500K according to Fox news. Garth Brooks also held a concert live on Facebook which was left with words of encouragement to Emma Gonzalez, a survivor of the Parkland massacre, “Ok, Miss Emma. It’s not yours to change…You understand that? You’re the future. Our children are the future and your parents are fine with this, trust me. This is your world. Take it, shape it, and mold it.” Twitter is full of responses from other celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres, Reese Witherspoon, Lucy Hale, and Kim Kardashian West.
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