A New Generation Takes On a War in America (Video)
Student gun reform activists, whose spark was lit by the Parkland massacre, have a message for their representatives: "Every life matters."
Photo Essay
march in Washington, D.C.
Photo Essay
march in Parkland, Fla.
Times have changed for protest. When I was in junior high, I was not marching around the White House against the war in Vietnam. The truth is, I was walking upstream of a group of maybe 100 college-age, mostly male students who were carrying white signs in black type that all came from a printer and said the same thing.
The expertise of today’s wave of student activists—from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students and elsewhere—has surpassed the older generation in just about every way imaginable. That evolution is part of their message: Get out of the way, grandpa. We’ll fix this for you.
The March for Our Lives event on March 24 in Washington, D.C., was an amazing achievement for the students. To gather the forces and crowd they did in under two months was a testimony to their dedication to create something important and meaningful. Once again, the students showed that their communication skills, combined with the wisdom that comes from being sharpened by tragedy, are remarkable.
Sadly, school shootings have become a multigenerational experience that cuts across racial, economic and geographic divisions. For our on-the-ground coverage, we focused on the raw, rapturous spirit in the street. One question we asked that did not make the final cut: How do you sustain a movement that is moving so fast?
The only consensus: Stay organized, and keep moving.
Relieve the March for Our Lives day with Truthdig’s live blog, and view exclusive photo essays of the , and the .
Your support matters…Independent journalism is under threat and overshadowed by heavily funded mainstream media.
You can help level the playing field. Become a member.
Your tax-deductible contribution keeps us digging beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that unearths what's really happening- without compromise.
Give today to support our courageous, independent journalists.
TD Original
In Pakistan and Iran, a grassroots women-led movement gives hope to millions of stateless people.
Activism
There is nothing right about a legal system that protects those hurting animals and punishes those trying to save them.
Politics
Advocacy organizations are pushing for new policies on voting rights, finance reforms, and judicial accountability.
Truthdiggers
Friends and mentees remember the mother of the disability rights movement.
Activism
The mission of Indigenous activists continues through their children and grandchildren.
World
Yemeni refugees say they are being abused by border guards and left to die.