Freshman Lola Oyinloye ’21 at the Atlanta March for Our Lives.

On March 24, Oglethorpe students joined hundreds of thousands around the country, taking to the streets for the March for Our Lives protests—anti-gun violence demonstrations in response to the Parkland school shooting on February 14, 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Oglethorpe students were among the crowd of almost 30,000 protesters who marched in Atlanta’s March for Our Lives, from the National Center for Civil and Human Rights through downtown Atlanta to Liberty Plaza, many of them bearing protest signs calling for common sense gun control.

Rep. John Lewis and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms both spoke at the event, along with student survivors of gun violence.

Lindsay Thomaston ’19

Lewis declared to the crowd, “We are never too young, we are never too old to march, to speak out and find a way to do something about gun violence.”

“What really resonated with me about this march was the amount of solidarity and unity I felt not only with my peers, but with fellow marchers,” said Jake Van Valkenburg ’19. “…There was a definite sense of change in the air—there was a feeling of joy, optimism, and love amongst us all. All of the marchers recognized the moment, and utilized it to make a difference and connect with others.”

Photography: Abbie Argo ’18