Road to Change bus tour sets a Midwest swing
Organizers of Road to Change, the March for Our Lives summer voter-education bus tour, on Friday announced its initial schedule of stops, all in the Midwest.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School activists Emma Gonzalez, David Hogg, Cameron Kasky and others are scheduled to take part in the 50-stop, 20-state tour.
The group’s first appearance was Friday night at a Chicago Catholic school, where a 7 p.m. peace rally included appearances by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, survivor of the 2011 assassination attempt, and Grammy-winning Chicago artist Chance the Rapper.
González acknowledged the tour on Twitter Thursday night: “Today marks the 4-month anniversary of the shooting at our school. Tomorrow we begin the #RoadToChange in Chicago at the Peace March #ChicagoStrong. We cannot move forward without the help of Each Other.”
The national tour is to be supported by a companion tour stopping to register voters in all 27 congressional districts in Florida, but that schedule has yet to be revealed.
Friday’s announcement included 16 other stops, including two more in the Chicago area today. The students will address residents in a variety of venues, from schools, parks and convention centers to the Twin Cities Pride Festival and the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, site of the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline.
After leaving the Chicago area today, the tour will be in St. Louis on Sunday; Kansas City, Monday; Omaha, Tues-
day; Sioux City, Wednesday; Cedar Rapids and Marion, Iowa, Thursday; Janesville, Wis., June 22; Milwaukee, June 23; Minneapolis-St. Paul, June 24; Hennepin County, Minn., June 24; Minneapolis, June 25; Moorehead, Minn., June 26; Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, June 27; and Bismarck, N.D., June 28.
The website (MarchForOurLives.com/RoadTo-Change) describes the tour as a bid “to rally our generation around saving lives this November and call out the leaders who refuse to stand up to the NRA.”
Those who click on RSVP buttons for individual events are advised that “security measures may be in effect, including hand-held metal detection and bag checks.”
Manuel Oliver, whose son, Joaquin, was killed in the Parkland shooting, is planning to join the Florida tour on motorcycle, and is looking for help.
“I’m working on putting together a large group of motorcycle riders to follow the kids during part of their local summer tour in Florida,” Oliver said Friday morning. “It’s time for us to start showing some active support to their movement. It’s time for us to ride for their lives.”
Oliver said that anyone interested in taking part can email him at info@ ChangeTheRef.org.