After March for Our Lives, what’s next for students?
Young protesters vow to press on, while veterans see a long road ahead
They walked out of classes. They rallied in streets across the nation for the March for Our Lives in powerful ways. They have the attention of millions. Now what?
The student- led movement forged in Parkland, Fla., after the high school shooting that took 17 lives is remarkable, organized and fierce — but not rare. Endless lists of groups have protested, marched, rallied, cried and pleaded for changes, whether it has been for gun laws, immigration, women’s reproductive rights or climate change.
Nowthe question is whether these young people who call themselves “the mass- shooting generation” will fade into the background of the debate over gun control or be the leading charge in changing the country’s policies.
Many of the Parkland students at the march in Washington on Saturday made it clear one of the next revolutions would be at the polls.
“We are going to make this the voting issue,” said David Hogg, a Marjory Stoneman Douglas student and an organizer of the march. “We are going to take this to every election, to every state and every city. We are going to make sure the best people get in our elections to run not as politicians, but as Americans.”
Still, it won’t be easy to blaze the trail. Experts and leaders of past movements say it’s going to be an uphill battle to translate the
“Our target is the November elections, and we know we definitely have to keep pushing forward to then.” Jaclyn Corin
#NeverAgain movement into significant changes.
Jaclyn Corin, one of the core members of the group, says she knows it will be difficult and called for the crowds Saturday in Washington to vote. She and the other student speakers shared stories of surviving gun violence and seeing it rip apart their communities.
They vowed to continue fighting. Corin said the students aren’t “backing down.” She said their successes have been astonishing and they’re committed to finishing what they started.
“Our target is the November elections, andwe know we definitely have to keep pushing forward to then,” she said. “This whole thing has taken off into a much bigger thing. We are starting a non- profit and want to continue to advocate for gun control, reforms and voter education.”
Focusing on elections and being “relentless” was a part of what made previous gun- control measures happen, said Richard Aborn, a former president of the Brady Center, which advocates gun control.
In the 1990s, Aborn worked to push for the federal assault- weapons ban and the Brady Bill, which created a waiting period for some gun purchases and the establishment of a federal background checks system.
Aborn says the Parkland students are resilient and have grit, noting that the group has all the elements of a successful movement. But, he says, the students must remain focused on the local level and the cities where members of Congress are from.
He said that while the march in D. C. will capture headlines, it’s local efforts that could lead to meaningful change.
“What happens with movements like this is you get great peaks of enthusiasm, then it dissipates,” he said. “You have to keep up the pressure and also keep things active at the local level with very specific goals, then you have to publicize all the wins.”
Many in the crowd Saturday said they knew the march wouldn’t be enough.
Joyce Hylton, a retired high school teacher, came with her college roommate and husband. She said she has watched gun violence rip the country apart for decades and “couldn’t just stand back anymore and wait for someone” to push for changes.
She plans to vote and said, looking at the crowds along Pennsylvania Avenue on Saturday, they will be, too.
“It’s time for all us to take responsibility and make sure these shootings stop,” she said, adding she hopes the momentum will keep supporters on course for the November election.
It’s going to be a long and tough road before there are key shifts in the gun- control debate, said Meira Levinson, a Harvard University professor.
She said Parkland students have a good chance at a sustained campaign because the children are diverse.
“Everyone can recognize themselves in these kids, and that is really crossing boundaries,” Levinson said.