Oprah Donates $500,000 to March For Our Lives
On March 24, students from across the country will gather in Washington, D.C. for the March For Our Lives, a protest against gun violence planned by the survivors of last week's Parkland, Florida shooting. The movement already has three major celebrity supporters. Oprah Winfrey tweeted on Tuesday afternoon that she would join George and Amal Clooney in donating $500,000 to the march.
George and Amal, I couldn’t agree with you more. I am joining forces with you and will match your $500,000 donation to ‘March For Our Lives.’ These inspiring young people remind me of the Freedom Riders of the 60s who also said we’ve had ENOUGH and our voices will be heard.
- Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) February 20, 2018
After 17 people were killed in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last week, student survivors went viral for calling out major politicians on Twitter and confronting the National Rifle Association in speeches. They decided to plan a march in the nation's capital and all other major cities across the country in response to the many people telling them it was too early to talk about gun control.
“March For Our Lives is created by, inspired by, and led by students across the country who will no longer risk their lives waiting for someone else to take action to stop the epidemic of mass school shootings that has become all too familiar,” their mission statement reads. “Change is coming. And it starts now, inspired by and led by the kids who are our hope for the future.”
In an interview with CNN, Marjory Douglas Stoneman junior Cameron Kasky says there's a time to grieve and a time to act, and the march is intended to call attention to the politicians who don't support gun reform and take money from the NRA. "My message for the people in office is: You're either with us or against us. We are losing our lives while the adults are playing around."
You can learn more about the March For Our Lives here.
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