By: Marysa Mazanek
A Historic Day
On March 24th, I went to the March for Our Lives in Washington D.C. with two of my closest friends, Corinne and Caitlyn. It was a day that I will never forget.
The March for Our Lives was organized by high school students, who survived a school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
These students are very active in the fight against gun violence, and made appearances on many news shows and are featured on the cover of Time Magazine.
The march was heavily promoted, with others being organized in over 800 cities in the world. It was expected to be one of the largest protests in American history.
Our Journey to D.C.
My friends and I really wanted to go to the march and were pleased to see that Loyola was offering transportation through the Office of Campus Ministry.
On the day of the march, we boarded the buses with 40 other students and made the trek to D.C. The ride lasted 90 minutes and we didn't encounter any traffic.
Pulling up to D.C., we could see crowds of people walking to Pennsylvania Avenue with signs of all sizes and colors. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits.
As we made our way into the crowds, it became clear how many people came to the march. Friends, couples, and families were everywhere to be seen.
The signs were very eye-opening with sayings like "Books Not Bullets" and "Protect Kids Not Guns." Some became political and attacked members of the government.
Speakers Calling for Change
We heard a variety of speeches from people who were all affected by gun violence. This included Parkland survivors and students from cities known for gun violence.
According to The Washington Post, "Nearly 200 people have died from gunfire at school since 1999..." The March for Our Lives movement set out to decrease this number.
Cheers erupted from the crowds, as the speakers called for a change in gun reform and a fight to prevent similar massacres from happening again.
Caitlyn thought the speakers were inspirational as she said, "Hearing the young speakers speak with such passion was amazing. It was great to be in DC to watch."
As the speeches were very emotional, singers like Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus also performed to provide for some lighter moments.
My friend, Corinne, is currently obtaining her Master's in Education from Loyola. Attending the march was important to her as she plans to become a teacher.
“As someone who wants to go into the education field, I was so impressed by every one of the speeches of the students. They will make a huge difference.”
Over 800,000 people attended the march in D.C. while thousands of others were in New York, Los Angeles, Austin, and Philadelphia.
A Day to Always Remember
Attending the march in person was an amazing experience. Seeing people from all backgrounds come together for an important cause was very inspiring.
I'm very thankful that Loyola and Campus Ministry organized buses to take students to the march. It made the day stress-free and let us focus on fighting for change.
The students from Parkland started a wonderful movement and I am proud of myself and my friends for participating in the most amazing day.