Emma Gonzalez - the Voice of Youth Activism for Gun Control

“We are tired of being ignored. So we are speaking up for those who don’t have anyone listening to them, for those who can’t talk about it just yet, and for those who will never speak again” Emma Gonzalez.

Emma Gonzalez is a twenty-year-old American activist for gun control who touches on all key attributes of an activist that have been discussed in class thus far. An activist is someone who advocates for positive political and social change and Emma does just that. Emma survived the horrific 2018 school shooting that occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. After the shooting, it caused an uproar from the younger generation. This event caused the uproar inside of Emma. It is what gave her, her purpose to be an activist. Along with a few other survivors, Emma co-founded and organized the March for Our Lives. On March 24, 2018, millions marched with Emma, igniting a change. That change is the need for stricter and more thorough gun laws.

March for Our Lives was not just a march, it is currently a movement in society. It has about 300 chapters across the United States that anyone can join. March for Our Lives mission is “To harness the power of young people across the country to fight for sensible gun violence prevention policies that save lives''. The movement has come out with what they call a peace plan. In the Peace Plan, there are six steps to reduce gun violence. With the presidential election coming up, this Peace Plan is a challenge this group, that Emma co-founded and still plays a huge part in, believes the next presidential administration and Congress must accept. During the actual March for our lives, Emma gave a public speech. During this speech, she pauses for six minutes and twenty seconds. This represented the number of minutes it took for the active shooting to stop. This emotional speech touched many. In the video of Emma’s speech, you can see the sadness and tears on the faces in the crowd.

March for Our Lives has held a plethora of different voter registration events around the country. In total, they have helped register over 850,000 people for the 2018 midterm elections. The results of all their hard work were seen during the elections and are still seen today. According to the United States Census Bureau, voter turnout between ages 18-29 year-olds during midterm elections had the largest increase in history. Results showed a 79% jump in youth voter turnout. Their advocacy caused those who historically had lower voter turnout, to make a great change. Hispanic youth voter turnout was the highest it has ever been in history. Without Emma and her team, the outcome of this election may have been different.

To conclude, Emma was out on the streets across America advocating for this change. She put her heart and soul into every effort that was made. Emma is advocating and giving solutions to many of the topics we have covered in lectures. They are out there in the eal world making a change.