Barack Obama just gave a big show of support for the millions of young people taking part in the March for Our Lives, calling the young people an inspiration and saying that this generation is “leading us all forward.”
On Saturday, more than 1 million people nationwide took part in massive protests in favor of stricter gun control, a movement sparked by the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School that claimed 17 lives. The largest protest, in Washington, D.C., drew an estimated 800,000 people alone and was led by many of the students-turned-activists who survived last month’s school shooting. This all came while Donald Trump left Washington for a stay (and golf trip) to his luxury Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, the Los Angeles Times noted.
Obama showed his support with a tweet on Saturday afternoon, writing that he and Michelle Obama were inspired by the young people taking part in it.
This is not the first time that Barack Obama has reached out directly to the survivors of the Parkland school shooting. He had previously penned a handwritten letter to the students, which the USA Today noted struck a similar tone as Saturday’s tweet.
“We wanted to let you know how inspired we have been by the resilience, resolve and solidarity that you have all shown in the wake of unspeakable tragedy,” Barack and Michelle Obama wrote. “Not only have you supported and comforted each other, you’ve helped awaken the conscience of the nation.”
In the letter, Obama also praised the students who took their message directly to lawmakers, demanding that they make schools safer.
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
While it may take longer for final estimates of attendance at the March for Our Lives rallies held across the country, there are at least 1 million between the largest events alone, with hundreds of thousands on both Washington, D.C. and New York City.
March for Our Lives draws bigger crowd than Trump inauguration, organizers say https://t.co/stzdymaRGg pic.twitter.com/ZFL4g0byqL
— The Hill (@thehill) March 24, 2018
As CNN noted, survivors of other mass shootings spoke at events alongside survivors of the Parkland school shooting including Coni Sanders, whose father was a teacher killed at the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. Other events drew some of the survivors of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, with some as young as 12 speaking at events.
Barack Obama had initially shied away from politics after leaving office last year but has become increasingly vocal. He was not the only former president to express support for the March for Our Lives, with Bill Clinton endorsing the protests in a tweet on Friday. Donald Trump has not spoken about the demonstrations and was golfing on Saturday morning.