In the wake of the horrific Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on February 14, 2018, several student survivors united under their shared traumas to create the organization March For Our Lives, which aims to prevent gun violence in communities across the United States.
Isra Qadri, a state organizing director of the Maryland state chapter for March For Our Lives who oversees local chapters throughout the state as well as general state events says that her main motivation for getting involved with March For Our Lives is due to her personal background.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, March For Our Lives engaged in a variety of different methods of activism, such as phone banking, text banking, webinars, forums with public officials, and rallies. However, the organization was forced to shift its events online, which has had the surprising effect of being more accessible to those who traditionally couldn’t attend in-person events. “Our activism is definitely a lot more accessible by being able to engage a much larger audience. By increasing accessibility to an online format, we’ve been able to engage a lot more organizers and even legislators.” Qadri explains.
March For Our Lives is no stranger to the spotlight.
Article by Rebecca Fuchs of Walter Johnson High School
Photo Courtesy of Mathias Wasik via Creative Commons