Students and Gun Violence Survivors Lead More Than 850 Worldwide ‘March for Our Lives’ Events

NEW YORK – In addition to the flagship March for Our Lives event in Washington, DC, more than 1.7 million students, gun violence survivors, gun-safety advocates and concerned citizens participated in 752 sibling marches around the country, inspired by the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL.

From Anchorage, Alaska, to Corpus Christi, Texas, to Minot, N.D., to Presque Isle, Maine, marches were organized by local students and survivors to demand that lawmakers make students’ lives and safety a priority and pass common-sense gun safety legislation that will make all Americans safer.

Sibling marches drew hundreds of thousands of supporters with large marches in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and Parkland.

Everytown gave $5,000 grants to more than 200 local organizers across the country to ensure that sibling marches nationwide had the operational resources to organize these powerful events.

Snapshot of Today’s March for Our Lives Sibling Marches:

• Marches took place in 387 congressional districts (90 percent of districts), including both red and blue districts – and in 28 of the 33 DCCC’s identified “red to blue” districts
• 68 percent of march hosts that received Everytown grants were first-time organizers
• 41 percent of grant recipients were personally affected by gun violence
• Intensive voter registration efforts were underway at marches nationwide today
• Everytown supported transportation for students from cities including Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, New York City, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia to travel to the flagship march in Washington, D.C.

Everytown Issued Grants to Organizers in 45 States Including:
Fairbanks, AK; Montgomery, AL; Little Rock, AR; Yuma, AZ; Vallejo, CA; Durango, CO; Hartford, CT; St Augustine, FL; Augusta, GA; Honolulu, HI; Cedar Falls, IA; Champaign, IL; South Bend, IN; Wichita, KS; Louisville, KY; Baton Rouge, LA; Beverly, MA; Chestertown, MD; Portland, ME; Flint, MI; Grand Rapids, MN; St. Joseph, MO; Jackson, MS; Missoula, MT; Raleigh, NC; Fargo, ND; Lincoln, NE; Portsmouth, NH; Newark, NJ; Rio Rancho, NM; Las Vegas, NV; Oneonta, NY; Akron, OH; Tulsa, OK; Bend, OR; Scranton, PA; Providence, RI; Anderson, SC; Vermillion, SD; Chattanooga, TN; El Paso, TX; Salt Lake City, UT; Charlottesville, VA; Montpelier, VT; Everett, WA; and Madison, WI.

Videos demanding an America free from gun violence by survivors of the recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida, and survivors from previous gun violence tragedies who are part of the Everytown Survivor Network were played at marches across the country.

STATEMENTS FROM STUDENT ORGANIZERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS STUDENT CASEY SHERMAN IN PARKLAND, FL: “History has its eyes on us. We have a chance to make a change and we are going to take it. This is why we march.”

CALLIE LUTTMAN IN CHARLESTON, S.C.: “This rally means more than change for us, it means unity for our community who has been affected by gun violence. We find it our duty to demand change from lawmakers and this event creates a space for STUDENTS to speak and be heard.”

NYSSA SILVA IN LAS VEGAS, NV: “Today’s march is just the beginning. We will fight for common sense gun laws until the adults in Congress listen to us. Our voices are strong, and we are not going away.”

ERICK BELLOMY, JR. IN COLUMBUS, OHIO: “I’m here because my dad was killed in October by gun violence. Nobody should have to feel what I’ve felt. Whether it’s children, parents, friends – I don’t want anyone to feel what I’ve felt. It’s an unexplainable feeling. March For Our Lives Columbus will be a footprint in this movement. We are here for the long haul, this isn’t the last time you’ll see us. We are here to stay, organize and bring change to gun laws.”

ROYCE MANN IN ATLANTA, GA: “Today, we march against gun violence; we march for easier access to mental health care; we march for common sense gun legislation; and most importantly, we March for Our Lives.”

MARLEY ROSARIO IN CHICAGO, IL: “As a student organizer, today is one of the biggest days of my life. We get to use the platform that the Parkland students have started to shine a spotlight on the need for better gun laws in this country. We are telling lawmakers in Illinois and D.C. that we’re not going to take this any longer, and this fight is far from over.”

WAED ALHAYEK IN DALLAS, TEXAS: “This day is everything to me, as a student and as a victim of gun violence. We get to build a platform in which students can finally voice their opinions and are given the opportunity to be social activists and help make a change for the future.”

HANNAH DAVIS IN JACKSON, MS: “I live in a small, southern town where gun reform is opposed by the majority of people. Being a student, there is always the possibility that I could be a victim to gun violence in school. Today is important to me because I feel that I’m helping to bring my community together and put an end to gun violence.”

STATEMENT FROM JOHN FEINBLATT, PRESIDENT OF EVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY:

“Today, America’s future mobilized the entire nation and sent a clear and urgent message to lawmakers: Protect us. The gun safety movement is bigger than ever, we are more unified than ever, and we will not stop fighting until every community is protected by common-sense gun laws.”