Hundreds of thousands of students around the world made their voices heard this past weekend. Led primarily by a group of survivors from the  high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, a “March for Our Lives” was held in Washington D.C. on March 24 to demand stricter gun control laws. The rally was held not only in Washington, but also at 837 sister marches worldwide. A march was held here in Cedar Rapids at Greene Square Park. The event was organized by Elizabeth Deegan, a Xavier parent and teacher at Jefferson High School.

“After the mass shooting in Las Vegas, one of my students was upset and felt very frustrated that these mass shootings just kept happening,” Deegan said. “I felt frustrated myself and thought, ‘What more can I be doing?’  Seeing the students from Parkland mobilize and create ‘March For Our Lives’ within days of February 14 gave us both the outlet to do something.”

Deegan and her students initially ran into some road blocks when planning for the event. The city required a permit application. The permit was initially cost prohibiting, but they reached out to local retailer RayGun for financial support, and they agreed to sponsor the event. The organizers also started a Facebook event, which quickly received hundreds of shares.

“I decided to go to the march because it was something I heard about recently through a social media site,” Sophomore Taylor Scallon said. “It was really amazing to see all of the students and parents who took the extra effort to show up even though the weather wasn’t what we had hoped for.”

People from all ages attended and marched for the cause. The day started with a peaceful gathering at 10 a.m. and included student speakers who shared why they think gun reform is necessary. They also had opportunities for people to register to vote and to write letters to their senators and representatives in Congress.

“I want to give my students a voice, and all these students are reminding the rest of the country how a democracy works,” Deegan said. “We aren’t stuck or trapped by our current legislation.  We can make a change.  It won’t be easy, but we can.”

The Florida survivors who organized the event in D.C. hope this will make Congress take their concerns seriously. The protesters have no intentions of stopping and will organize future rallies until changes are made.

Noah Lynch

News Editor