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Following a tragic-beyond-words school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida, the survivors of the attack have disrupted our constantly spinning cycle of grief, outrage, and hopelessness that occurs after every mass shooting (of which there are a disgusting amount). These high school students have kept their tragedy in the news cycle for a week, seeking justice not only for the 17 people lost in the high school shooting but every other person killed by a gun in America. The students have organized marches and walkouts, participated in a town hall event on CNN, and now they’ve taken their story and message to The Ellen Show.
Three survivors–Emma Gonzalez, Cameron Kasky, and Jaclyn Corin–sat down on the couch and talked to Ellen DeGeneres about the tragedy and what these survivors are doing to hopefully make real changes to America’s gun laws. The conversation topics ranged from the trio sharing memories of those they lost in the shooting, to discussion of Kasky’s questioning of Senator Marco Rubio at the town hall, to how Gonzalez crafted her memorable, rallying “No BS” speech.
In the talk, Gonzalez says that the students actually have the education they received at Marjory Stoneman Douglas to thank for how they’ve been able to persevere through this tragedy and rise to the occasion. “We are thankful to have been in a school that educated us almost perfectly to handle this situation,” said Gonzalez.
“I wish I had been able to be a part of this before I had to feel it at home,” said Kasky. “I almost feel guilty … It took us feeling that anguish for us to get involved, but we’re here now. But we just have to keep going and realize that we’re here to fight the good fight.”
The students/survivors even addressed the ludicrous conspiracy theories that claim they’re all paid actors. “If you’ve seen [me act in school productions],” said Kasky, “you know I’m not somebody who deserves any money for acting.”
The students are now organizing a march on Washington, D.C. on March 24, called March For Our Lives. During the interview, Ellen announced that Shutterfly would be donating $50,000 to the cause. You can watch the interview in the videos above and below.
(via EW)
