On March 14, 2018 at 10 a.m., tens of thousands of students walked out of school across the country to support the 17 victims of the Parkland high school shooting last month.
Many participants used the 17 minutes to honor the victims while others participated in marches and ceremonies.
This event was organized by EMPOWER, the Women’s March youth branch.
Just days after the Parkland shooting, EMPOWER created a Facebook event that quickly drew in thousands of students.
According to their website, EMPOWER organized the ENOUGH National School Walkout because “young people like us do not feel safe in our schools.”
EMPOWER also chooses to focus outside of school shootings as they added, “We are walking out for ALL people who have experienced gun violence, including systemic forms of gun violence that disproportionately impact teens in Black and Brown communities.”
EMPOWER is composed of young activists in major cities across the U.S. Their ages range from 14 to 23 years old. They’re determined to put pressure on Congress to pass gun reform to prevent another tragedy from happening.
There are two more events coming in the near future. On March 24, there will be the #March4OurLives in Washington, D.C. On April 20, there will be another school walkout. If you’re interested in getting involved, check out their toolkit here.