The March for Our Lives rally, organized in the aftermath of the Parkland shooting last month, is about to put South Florida students and their dogged anti-gun campaign on a stage in front of the world.
Originally organized by survivors of the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the event, set for this Saturday in Washington, D.C., has grown in scope. Many Hollywood celebrities have signed on to promote or fund the event. Several hundred sister marches are also planned across the globe.
The main march in D.C. will begin at noon ET. According to the march’s official website, the students' goal is to force passage of more gun control and expand background checks to cover sales online and at gun shows.
Cameron Kasky, a Stoneman Douglas student and outspoken critic of the NRA, promoted the march on Twitter saying, “This Saturday, we all stand together on the right side of history -- the side of life over money.”
Stoneman Douglas students have partnered with Everytown for Gun Safety to help plan the event. Everytown is an organization founded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to advocate for gun control. The Washington Post, however, has called Everytown’s data on the frequency of school shootings “wrong” and “inflated.”
Some of the big-name celebrities who have promoted the march on Twitter include Bette Midler and Kim Kardashian. Others have opened up their pocketbooks, with George Clooney, Steven Spielberg, and Oprah Winfrey each donating $500,000 to help fund the march.
A Separate GoFundMe page has raised more than $3.3 million. Organizers say half of that money will fund the march, with the other half going to help the victims of the Parkland shooting.
If you cannot attend the D.C. march, organizers have listed several hundred sister marches that are set to be held, including many across the state of Florida. You can find a nearby march here.
Following the march, Parkland students plan to focus on the midterm elections to support candidates who will advocate for gun control. According to the mission statement, the march’s goal “is to demand that a comprehensive and effective bill be immediately brought before Congress to address these gun issues.”
David Hogg, another survivor of the shooting, appeared on CBS this morning to give his thoughts on the march and the students’ political activism. “I think we’re what every American should be,” Hogg said. “We’re people that are standing up and being politically active in our democracy in our own way.”
Ryan Nicol, a freelance writer who lives in Sunrise, wrote this story exclusively for Sunshine State News.
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