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The March for Solidarity and Unity

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Source: Mobilus in Mobili - Flickr

“I am here to acknowledge and represent the African American girls whose stories don’t make the front page of every national newspaper, whose stories don’t lead on the evening news. I represent the African American women who are victims of gun violence, who are simply statistics instead of vibrant, beautiful girls full of potential. For far too long, these names, these black girls and women, have been just numbers. I’m here to say ‘Never again’ for those girls, too.” – Naomi Wadler, 11 year old from Alexandria, VA, delivered a powerful speech at the March for Our Lives rally in Washington DC on March 24, 2018.

Following the National School Walkout in mid-March, where students throughout the nation peacefully walked out of their classrooms to honor the 17 victims whose lives were tragically taken in the Parkland shooting, people continued to voice their concern and call for immediate action on both gun violence and mental health at the March for Our Lives rally.

The national rally was held in Washington D.C. where an estimated 500,000 people attended that brought solidarity and unity to a country that is still healing from the unforgettable day in Parkland, Florida. Along with the national rally in the nation’s capital, there was other #MarchforOurLives rallies that took place not only throughout different cities in America, but also across the globe (including Tokyo, Rome, Madrid, Sydney, and Berlin). With the power of social media, including celebrities and professional athletes, the rallying cries of #EnoughisEnough, #NeverAgain, and #RiseUp were voiced loud and clear from every corner of the world.

Source: Mobilus in Mobili – Flickr

Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock), a well-known Hollywood actor and former wrestler, tweeted his solidarity for those that participated in the #MarchforOurLives rally saying, “I’ll always stand for open dialogue and action – it’s the only way to ensure bad history doesn’t repeat itself. When it comes to protecting our children, all bets are off and the responsibility lies with us adults and lawmakers to listen and do. Very strong day.”

Emma Gonzalez, one of the most well-known and revered vocal student advocates from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, delivered an emotionally charged speech to the crowd in Washington D.C. that lasted 6 minutes and 20 seconds, which was the same length of time as the shooting. She started off by recalling the horrific moment where,

Six minutes and about 20 seconds. In a little over six minutes, 17 of our friends were taken from us, 15 were injured, and everyone in the Douglas community was forever altered.” With tears streaming down on her face, she concluded with these lasting words, “Fight for your lives before it’s somebody else’s job.”

This rally closely paralleled with a similar movement that also called for global change with tremendous impact.

The Civil Rights Movement, which took place between the 1950s and 1960s, drew similar comparisons with the March for Our Lives. While the Civil Rights Movement focused more on the issue of equal justice for African Americans, the immediate connection between those two is the greater impact and unity that brought everyone together to have their voices heard.

Gwendolyn Sanders Gamble, one of the participants from the Civil Rights Movement, recalled in an interview with NPR the moment when she participated at that movement where “that morning when I woke up, you know, I didn’t know what to expect. But once I got there, I saw people that I had never seen before out marching. And I’m talking about all races.” Furthermore, when she added, “You know, you can get tired. You can get discouraged. But when you think about your freedom songs and the various messages you heard, then that motivates you, and it gives you strength to keep going.”

Janice Nixon, another participant from the Civil Rights Movement, also shared a similar experience saying, “You know, it was a way of me learning devotion and dedication. It made me feel like this is done for a purpose. And I want to be remembered as being part of that purpose. And I want to influence somebody else’s life.” Although it’s been more than six decades since that infamous movement happened, it serves as both an influence and purpose for today’s generation to be more active and vocal on pertinent issues in both America and the world.

The March for Our Lives movement left participants both inspired and motivated to continue calling for a greater change on both gun violence and mental health. With everyone playing an active role on both of these issues, it is safe to say that the hard work, loud voices and extensive engagement from every single individual, both nationally and globally, will not rest until immediate action is taken. By then, the world especially schools will be a much safer place!

By: Francis Asprec

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