The March for our Lives is a student-led initiative that has taken off after the devastating Parkland shooting. The march led on March 24th, 2018 was an outstanding declaration for stricter gun control laws.  This march sent that message to everyone, especially government officials. The students of Parkland took this march to the capital of Washington DC, but they weren’t the only ones. People all over the world as well took the decision to march for change. During the march, Emma Gonzalez, a high school senior gave an extraordinary and incredibly powerful speech. Her words or lack of words had the attendees in tears, quite, or chanting ¨never again.” Part of her speech was a span of silence. Silence that was the loudest ever heard.

Emma at only 18 years of age has become the face of a movement that will be remembered through the years to come. March 24th was not her first time on stage or in front of a big audience. She has been fighting since the shooting happened. While at gun control rally in Fort Lauderdale, Florida she delivered a speech that brought attention to her name and what she was fighting for. In her speech she called out the BS of lawmakers stating:

“Politicians who sit in their gilded House and Senate seats funded by the NRA, telling us nothing could have ever been done to prevent this–we call B.S.! … They say that no laws could have been able to prevent the hundreds of senseless tragedies that have occurred–we call B.S.! …That us kids don’t know what we’re talking about, that we’re too young to understand how the government works–we call B.S.!” Source: CNN

Another instance, in which Emma made a statement was at the CNN Town Hall about the future of gun control. She asked the NRA, or National Rifle Association spokeswoman Dana Loesch: “Do you believe it should be harder to obtain semi-automatic and fully automatic weapons?” Dana did not give a direct answer to the question. Emma interrupted reminding her of the question and that she wanted her answer not the NRA’s. Some other things she stated during this time: “I want you to know we will support your two children in a way that you will not” and “you guys if I can’t hear her statement I can’t come up with a rebuttal, please.” CNN Emma is someone like us, a high school student, but she stood up to this woman that believes the opposite of her ideas. She spoke her mind, fought for what she believed in. This is something that anyone of us can do. It might be difficult but just look what she has achieved. Almost everyone has heard the debates on gun control yet her name her words contributed to make the debate a problem that must be solved know. We can fight for our beliefs through small actions. It doesn’t have to be a large movement. Voting for you cause, starting a club, or tweeting about it is sufficient. The point is to act. Social media technology has made communication with the world easier allowing us to express our ideas to a larger audience. It must be acknowledged that recognition is not always there at first. It is something that is achieved through work and dedication. Emma put this work and most importantly was not afraid to speak her mind. ‟It’s time to do something”

If you are interested in this specific cause you can visit https://marchforourlives.com were you can vote, sign the petition, or learn how to start an action club. There is also an article on the march specifically written by staff writer Nicole Cardino  March for Our Lives is Trying to Save Lives One at a Time

Share you thoughts below.