Refusing To Settle

In the year since their friends were killed, the students of Parkland refused to settle for the way things are and marched, organized, and pushed for the way things should be - helping pass meaningful new gun violence laws in states across the country. I'm proud of all of them.

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 14, 2019

Today would have been Jordan’s 24th birthday.

I am honoring my son’s life by working for common sense solutions to end gun violence and save as many lives as possible.

Happy birthday, Jordan.#EndGunViolence pic.twitter.com/vBkhIahYKm

— Rep. Lucy McBath (@RepLucyMcBath) February 16, 2019

The Future Is Written By Us

.@BarackObama: “By bearing witness to carnage, by asking tough questions and demanding real answers, the Parkland students are shaking us out of our complacency” #TIME100 https://t.co/LYe1trmpPv

— TIME (@TIME) April 19, 2018

Thank you @TIME and @BarackObama for honoring all of the Parkland students through your kind words #Time100 https://t.co/BRbccRL4YC

— Jaclyn Corin (@JaclynCorin) April 19, 2018

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Thank you @TIME for this honor and an immense thank you to @BarackObama for the kind words. #NeverAgain https://t.co/E4W94ODhAl

— Alex Wind (@al3xw1nd) April 19, 2018

Thanks, Obama. https://t.co/ydeXa3TFhg

— David Hogg 🟧 (@davidhogg111) April 19, 2018

Making An Enormous Difference

EXCLUSIVE: Here’s the letter @BarackObama and @MichelleObama wrote to the #ParklandShooting survivors. In it, the former president and first lady tell the teens that they’ve “inspired” them, and commend them on “awakening the conscience of our nation.” https://t.co/FOQYVguNFw pic.twitter.com/xEPHE6iUL2

— Mic (@mic) March 21, 2018

Chat Away

Watch Barack Obama praise the teens of Parkland for being brave enough to take on responsibilities where adults failed pic.twitter.com/ALY5WVMtyi

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) March 25, 2018

‘An Extraordinary Young Man’

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Earlier this month, Michael Schulman and Linda Beigel Schulman received a letter. Their son, Scott Beigel, was a geography teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and on February 14, he reportedly unlocked the door to his classroom as an active shooter roamed the halls, allowing students to run inside and take cover. Before he could lock the door again, he was killed, along with 14 students and two other faculty members. He was 35 years old.

“Your son seemed like an extraordinary young man, and Michelle and I grieve alongside you,” the letter to Michael and Linda read. “We can only imagine the hardship you are going through; hopefully all the wonderful memories can help ease the pain. We’ll get the details about your fund in his honor. In the meantime, you are in our thoughts and prayers.” It was handwritten, and it was signed Barack Obama.

“Scott is a hero. Scott was a hero way before February 14,” Linda told me on Saturday afternoon in Washington, D.C. “What Scott did — saving his students — doesn’t surprise me. I’m proud of him. Obviously, I wish he wasn’t murdered doing it, but I wouldn’t expect anything less of Scott.”

More here

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6 Minutes And 20 Seconds

Michelle and I are so inspired by all the young people who made today’s marches happen. Keep at it. You’re leading us forward. Nothing can stand in the way of millions of voices calling for change.

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 24, 2018

WATCH: Emma Gonzalez names the murdered Parkland victims and observes several minutes of silence in a 6-minute, 20-second speech that covered the same time it took the gunman to kill 17 people in her high school:

"Fight for your lives before it's someone else's job." pic.twitter.com/OrTfuTdSNn

— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 24, 2018

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This is #NaomiWadler! #MarchForOurLives pic.twitter.com/taeqb5pDNM

— March For Our Lives ☮️ (@AMarch4OurLives) March 24, 2018

Edna Chavez, a student from Los Angeles, who lost her brother to gun violence: "This is normal — normal to the point that I've learned to duck from bullets before I learned how to read." #MarchForOurLives (via CBS) pic.twitter.com/jB1lYWz3tN

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) March 24, 2018

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https://twitter.com/Jason_Pollock/status/977604569550151685

Edna Chavez talks about Black and Brown youth "that have lost their lives to a bullet," including his brother #MarchForOurLives #tictocnews pic.twitter.com/kdRKLGV3NM

— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) March 24, 2018

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“For me, I would like to not worry about dying, and focus on math and science and playing basketball with my friends. Don't I deserve to grow up?" 11-year-old Christopher Underwood who lost his brother to gun violence at age 5 #MarchForOurLives #NeverAgain pic.twitter.com/v4dtIWSfVG

— Scott Dworkin (@funder) March 24, 2018

"We are the survivors of unjust policies and practices upheld by our Senate. We are survivors of lack of resources within our schools. We are survivors of social, emotional and physical harm," says Chicago student D’Angelo McDade https://t.co/jujbxM0M4i #MarchForOurLives pic.twitter.com/j6nwplUxAp

— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 24, 2018

Glorious Indeed

These kids are the real legacy of @BarackObama. They are political, passionate and brilliant. They believe in our laws. And for every one of the greedy followers of Trump & his agenda, there will be a hundred of these youths. The times are changing because of them. It’s glorious.

— Ken Olin (@kenolin1) February 19, 2018

Goodnight everybody. Here’s my older brother Julian and I at an awesome @BarackObama rally when I was 7 or 8.

We were so lucky to be inspired by him in person. #NeverAgain #MarchForOurLives pic.twitter.com/m5ZqlFweoP

— Cameron Kasky (@cameron_kasky) February 27, 2018

Chat Away

Why not just ban guns and when people are upset about it, just send them thoughts and prayers?

— Erica Buist (@ericabuist) November 5, 2017

If "thoughts and prayers" are good enough for people who've lost their families then it's good enough for people who've lost their guns.

— Erica Buist (@ericabuist) November 5, 2017

You Can Huff And Puff, But Change Will Come

To see tweets belittling and bullying youth for standing for their right to not be gunned down with an AR-15 at school...It’s troubling, but not unexpected. A change is gonna come, but not without a struggle. pic.twitter.com/3r3Mrsjpjj

— Be A King (@BerniceKing) February 21, 2018

Every Step Of The Way

I’m in total awe of the extraordinary students in Florida. Like every movement for progress in our history, gun reform will take unyielding courage and endurance. But @barackobama and I believe in you, we’re proud of you, and we’re behind you every step of the way.

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) February 22, 2018

Young people have helped lead all our great movements. How inspiring to see it again in so many smart, fearless students standing up for their right to be safe; marching and organizing to remake the world as it should be. We've been waiting for you. And we've got your backs.

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 22, 2018