BALTIMORE (March 21, 2018) – This coming Saturday, March 24, the Youth and College Division of the NAACP will join hands with the children, youth and families of the newly formed #NeverAgain movement and Everytown for Gun Safety. They’ll be taking to the streets to demonstrate in cities and communities across the United States and around the world, demanding that their safety and lives become a national priority.
These young people will be looking to be heard, and with a unified voice will call for those in power join with them to work together to find solutions to the plagues of gun violence, irresponsible gun ownership and, of course, the mass-shootings in America’s schools. Themed the first-ever “March for Our Lives,” this Saturday’s demonstration has spawned an estimated 820 “sibling” events, scheduled to be held internationally. #NeverAgain was established by about 20 student survivors of the recent Stoneman Douglas school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
The NAACP Youth and College Division, led by director Tiffany Dena Loftin, has also partnered with MTV, the longtime, respected broadcast channel for urban youth culture, which has co-sponsored 17 busloads of youth from various cities to travel to the nation’s capital to participate in the March. The buses, which will include young NAACP members, youth from other organizations, noted music artists The Roots and Pusha T and others are originating from Atlanta, GA, Baltimore, MD, Chicago, IL, Greensboro, NC, Laurinburg, NC, New York, NY, Philadelphia, PA, and Richmond, VA.
The cities of origin are urban centers painfully afflicted by gun violence and the 17 buses are symbolic of the 17 lives taken at Stoneman Douglas, as well as the more than 17 lives lost to gun violence daily in the United States.
“March 24 is not just another rally, it’s an opportunity to move forward in reducing gun violence and making our communities safer,” said Tiffany Dena Loftin, director of the NAACP’s Youth and College Division. “This march is also an opportunity to mobilize young Black people,” she added. “The NAACP’s Youth and College Division is committed to letting policy makers and elected officials know in a powerful way, that we are prepared to exercise both our voice and our votes on the issue of public safety.”
“Communities of color have borne the brunt of America’s broken gun laws, and their voices must be heard by our lawmakers,” stated John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “We are proud to partner with the NAACP to advance gun safety in every community.”
For its part, the MTV network and all Viacom networks additionally took the bold step of going dark for 17 minutes in solidarity with last week’s National School Walkout March 14th, honoring the Parkland victims, and all young victims of the scourge of gun violence.
ABOUT THE NAACP:
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACP’s work and our six “Game Changer” issue areas by visiting NAACP.org.
