The March for Our Lives Activists Glamour Women of the Year Speech
On Valentine’s Day, 2018, an unthinkable tragedy happened at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. In the months that followed, the students of Parkland—and others who joined their cause—woke our nation up to the realities of gun violence. In under a year, real-deal activists emerged—including Emma González, Samantha Fuentes, Jaclyn Corin, Edna Chavez, and Naomi Wadler—and made their voices heard by leading a march on D.C. and traveling the country to encourage voter registration. On November 12, those young fighters the stage at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards and delivered what can only be described as a rallying cry.
They were introduced by singer and fellow activist Troye Sivan, who asked the audience to turn on their cell phone flashlights. “I want you to imagine that each of your lights is a young person, a soul, a child with a future,” Sivan said. “Think of a kid that you love. Got it? Well, so far this year, the lives of 805 young people in America under the age of 18, about as many lights as we have shining right now, have been extinguished by gun violence. Now, turn your flashlights off. Each one is another young life gone.”
“But,” Sivan continued, “There are so many bright flames burning in the darkness…fighting for the futures of every student, every teacher, every brother and sister, everyone that we know and love…Including five young women representing the voices of people whose friends, families and communities have been devastated by gun violence. They are changing hearts and minds about what has long been seen as an unsolvable issue.”
Sivan added, “In the last few weeks alone, there have been hate-motivated shootings at a Kroger in Kentucky, a yoga studio in Florida, the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and a country music bar in Thousand Oaks on Wednesday night. But these young activists will not stop until the violence does. They have raised more than $100,000 for gun violence prevention; registered tens of thousands of voters; and helped get 55 gun-safety bills passed in 26 states. They are women activists of the March for Our Lives movement: Emma Gonzalez of Parkland, who captured our emotions at the March for Our Lives; Jaclyn Corin, also of Parkland, who helped push Florida to pass its first gun control bill in 20 years; Edna Chavez of South Central LA, who lost her brother Ricardo to gun violence; Samantha Fuentes, who was shot in Parkland and is living with shrapnel in her body; and 12-year-old Naomi Wadler of Virginia, who has made it her mission to share the stories of black and brown girls that we don’t see on the front page.”
Corin spoke first on behalf of March For Our Lives. “We see violence so often in our communities around the nation and it’s despicable,” she said. “But ever since the tragedy at my school and Emma’s school and Sam’s school, we have awoken a generation that says no.”
Corin added that 2018 has been a difficult year, with mass shootings occurring nearly every day. Because gun violence is so widespread, she said it’s essential that movements for peace are in all communities. “We understand that even if it doesn’t affect us, it affects someone else,” she continued. “We are intersectional and we are powerful.”
González spoke next, highlighting the unfortunate, but powerful bond the women of March For Our Lives share. “We would not know each other here today if it hadn’t been for what happened at our school,” she said. “We are all together a part of this country and people who have faced gun violence.”
“Our school was large, but we came together,” she continued. And together, González said, she and her community can only move forward with heart and determination. “The other day somebody asked me how I sustain this without staying angry? One of the first things someone told us was you can’t sustain a movement on anger alone. You have to have love in your heart to keep it going.”
“I am a young bisexual woman. I am a registered voter. I’m unfortunately a proud Floridian. I am a domestic violence survivor. I’m a sexual harassment survivor. And after the day February 14, I am a gun violence survivor,” Fuentes said next. “I had to experience so much pain and so much sorrow, so much grief and so much loss. […] But I know that when these women are with me I can sleep safely and soundly. I have grit my teeth for too long, but I bite and I bite hard.”
12-year-old Watts highlighted her identities at the mic as well: an immigrant, a black woman, and a survivor of gun violence. “With these titles comes a certain responsibility to break through glass ceilings and fight for the girls who’ve lost their lives and fight for the women who cannot speak and fight for the people,” she said. “One of the great things about March For Our Lives is that it’s a movement that’s intersectional, and gun violence doesn’t choose who it affects.” In other words, she’s still fighting on behalf of all young people who face gun violence.
Lastly, Chavez spoke, thanking her family and her friends. “I’m proud to say that I’m here from South Central,” she said. “Who would have thought a brown, indigenous mujer would be here and on the cover of Glamour?” But the fight for a safer world, she concluded, isn’t over. She ended her portion with a message: “Que la lucha sigue, gracias y bendiciones.” The fight continues, thank you and blessings.
Read more inspiring moments from Glamour‘s 2018 Women of the Year here.
Related Stories:
The Best Speeches From the March for Our Lives