What a time we live in. Activism is back, and it's bigger than ever. People are FINALLY starting to do something about the gun violence epidemic, and companies are responding by actually breaking ties with the NRA. It seems like even those who've done business with them have wanted to sever ties for years; they just feel like they have permission now.
And why not? An estimated 20,000 people attended the march in D.C., celebs of all kinds, from Paul McCartney to Kim Kardashian, also joined. My social media exploded with images of them not only them, but practically everyone in my network, who also went out to march. Thousands also registered to vote.
But one of the most remarkable things I noticed was who was taking the lead for the most part. In past progressive movements, we typically saw women and their concerns get shoved to the side, but not so much this time around. The future is truly female, because it's women, hell, teens and preteen girls really, who took the lead. Martin Luther King's 9-year-old granddaughter Yolanda Renee King recalled her grandfather's words as she shared her own dream of a world without guns. 11-year-old Naomi Wadler made sure the pain of girls and women of color were not forgotten. And of course, 18-year-old Emma González, a survivor of the Parkland shooting, has become a major force in the fight for change. Her time at the podium, which lasted exactly as long as the shooting at her school, was brilliantly heartbreaking.
This type of movement seems to be the one we need. It is inclusive, driven by the young, and frightening the people on the far right. Already, false stories about González have been circulating, as these young people passionately refute the claim that they're unable to understand the policies they want to change. And many of them will be old enough to vote before too long.
As Cameron Kasky, another Parkland student said, “Welcome to the revolution.”
