Oprah announced on Twitter she will be supporting March for Our Lives, the march set up by Parkland students in the wake of the recent shooting at their high school. Oprah will be donating $500,000, matching a donation made by George and Amal Clooney for the same amount. In her tweet, she wrote, "George and Amal, I couldn’t agree with you more. I am joining forces with you and will match your $500,000 donation to ‘March For Our Lives.’ These inspiring young people remind me of the Freedom Riders of the 60s who also said we’ve had ENOUGH and our voices will be heard."
According to Variety, George and Amal will also be attending the March for Our Lives demonstration on March 24, where students will gather in Washington D.C. to bring awareness to gun violence.
In a statement, George said, "Amal and I are so inspired by the courage and eloquence of these young men and women from Stoneman Douglas High School. Our family will be there on March 24 to stand side by side with this incredible generation of young people from all over the country, and in the name of our children Ella and Alexander, we’re donating $500,000 to help pay for this groundbreaking event. Our children’s lives depend on it.”
Survivors of the mass shooting responded to the Clooneys' donation on Twitter, writing, "We want to express extreme gratitude for the amazing donation that George Clooney and his family have made to the #MarchForOurLives. We are overwhelmed with the support, and we can’t wait to march."
In light of the major celebrity endorsements and donations, some have taken to Twitter to point out lack of support for previous student-led groups in Florida, namely Black Lives Matter and Dream Defenders. Dream Defenders was created in 2012 after the shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager in Florida; the Dream Defenders had a 31-day sit-in at the Florida Capitol in 2013 to protest the "stand your ground" law.
