Eight years ago this week, on February 14, 2018, a gunman entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and changed our lives and our country forever.
We remember the classrooms. We remember the faces. We remember the futures that should have been. And we remember the promise we made to one another in the days that followed: that grief would not be the end of the story, and that young people would build the power needed to keep others safe.
This week, we honor those we lost and stand with survivors who continue to carry that day with them. We also reflect on what has happened since.
Because the truth is this: the gun violence prevention movement has made real, measurable progress since Parkland.
Young people helped pass the first major federal gun safety law in nearly 30 years, strengthening background checks for people under 21, closing loopholes that allowed abusers to access firearms, and investing billions in community violence prevention and mental health supports. States across the country have enacted or strengthened red flag laws that allow guns to be temporarily removed from people in crisis. Communities have secured funding for violence interruption programs that are saving lives right now. These wins did not happen by accident. They happened because people refused to move on.
March For Our Lives has been a central part of that pressure, from mobilizing millions in the streets to organizing young voters and holding lawmakers accountable in statehouses and at the ballot box. We have proven that sustained youth power can change policy.
That progress matters. But it is fragile.
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All of us at March For Our Lives believe in a future where students do not fear being shot at school. Where lockdown drills are no longer normal. Where parents can send their children to class without wondering if it will be the last goodbye.
Everything we do turns memory into action and action into policy. With your help, we can protect what we have won and keep pushing forward.
Thank you,
March For Our Lives
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