Fordham GSS student Joanne Hsu (who attended the New York City march) said, “The march is social work in action. We effect change on multiple levels, and marching together reflects the change that we seek to make together on a mezzo and macro level. Advocacy is not easy, but it is exactly what we are meant to do as social workers.”
Fordham GSS was also present at the White Plains march. Fordham GSS student Lizbeth Merelo, who attended the White Plains march, stated, “The March for me as a social work student was a step towards solidarity and an inspiration for a better tomorrow. Advocacy was proven in actions!”
The March For Our Lives was originally motivated by the tragic shooting that took seventeen lives at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018 in Parkland, Florida. In response to this tragic event, the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School rose up to say, “Enough is Enough.”
As the march developed, however, it became something more. Beyond just focusing on school shootings, the New York City march aimed to recognize all victims of gun violence and terrorism.
Speakers included Jackie-Rowe Adams, co-founder of Harlem Mothers S.A.V.E., Nza-Ari Khepra, founder of Project Orange Tree, Hawk Newsome, president of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, and eleven-year-old Christopher Lane of Guns Down Life Up.
The march organizers also highlighted Safe Horizon, an organization that works with victims of domestic violence and violent crimes in New York, as well as the Crown Heights Community Organization which aims to intervene and minimize gun violence on a community level. Both organizations work against the gun violence that many New Yorkers experience as a part of their everyday lives.
If you are interested in doing more to advocate for gun control, you can take the following steps:
- Make sure that you are registered to vote for the upcoming New York Midterms. (Primary date: September 11 & General Election Registration Deadline: October 12)
- Call your representatives and let them know your position on gun control.
- Advocate for local non-profits working for gun control in the five boroughs, including: Harlem Mothers S.A.V.E., NYC Says Enough, Gays Against Guns, Moms Demand Action NY, Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence, Guns Down Life Up, Safe Horizon, and Crown Heights Community Organization.
If you are interested in taking part in future advocacy events as a Fordham GSS group, join the Facebook group “Fordham GSS – Students in Solidarity.” The aim of this Facebook group is to provide a space where students can gather over issues such as gun control and stand together in solidarity.
