‘March For Our Lives’ Gun Reform Rallies Take Over Media & World Stages
Today’s international March For Our Lives rallies are bringing speeches, live music and celebrity activism to more than 800 locations worldwide, spotlighted by massive media coverage that starts early this morning and continues through the evening.
Billed as the young people’s response to the Parkland, Florida school shootings and a cry for further gun restrictions from legislators, the events have been assisted in the background by a sophisticated network of established adult activists. The events received financial donations of at least $500,000 each from such donors as George and Amal Clooney, Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Oprah Winfrey, among publicized contributors.
Coverage is slated by at least six major media television outlets, along with numerous online sites. The main rallies are in New York, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, but other gatherings are planned for Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Liverpool and Reykjavik, to name a few, according to the March For Our Lives website.
The Saturday schedule:
WASHINGTON, D.C.: What’s considered the main march event of the day kicks off at 10 AM ET along Pennsylvania Ave NW from 3rd Street NW to 12th Street NW. The stage, located at 3rd and Constitution Streets, NW, will serve as the hub for the day’s program, which will begin at noon ET, with speakers including the Parkland students who launched the event. Musical performances will come from Common, Miley Cyrus, Andra Day, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Demi Lovato and Vic Mensa, and Lin Manuel-Miranda and Ben Platt. .
NEW YORK: The Manhattan march and rally is set for 11 AM ET at the corner of West 72nd Street and Central Park West, making its way to and down Sixth Avenue to 43rd Street. No celebrity appearances have been announced, but speeches are expected.
LOS ANGELES: The downtown L.A. march will convene at 9 AM PT on the corner of 6th Avenue and Spring Street, then proceed to Los Angeles City Hall and Grand Park for a rally, where students, teachers, community leaders, and artists will speak “to honor the 17 lives tragically claimed in Parkland, Florida on February 14, 2018 and to demand immediate action on gun violence prevention.”
Amy Schumer, Connie Britton, Olivia Wilde, Skai Jackson and Yara Shahidi are among the speakers set to take the stage, with singer-songwriter Charlie Puth among the musical performers slated. The actors will join with students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, site of the February 14 shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Other speakers and performers will include the Denver Choir, Lara Downes, Ta’Rhonda Jones, Cappie Pondexter, Bret Lockett, Hasan Piker, Jacob Sartorius, Mason Cook, Meg Donnelly, and Sierra Dupri. Trevor Hall will be providing a video of the song “Angel Rays” in honor of the 17 victims, and L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti will make the opening remarks.
Media coverage:
CNN and MSNBC have all-day coverage of the nationwide events planned. CNN starts its coverage at 6 AM ET on Saturday, while MSNBC beings rolls at 8 AM ET. Fredricka Whitfield, Alisyn Camerota, Ana Carbrera and Brooke Baldwin will be the Saturday anchors for CNN, with Erin Burnett and Van Jones hosting special editions of their shows featuring the students. CNN will also have correspondents reporting from Los Angeles, New York, Parkland, Chicago, Denver and Boston
Brian Williams will anchor Saturday afternoon coverage on MSNBC. Coverage includes show hosts Joy Reid, Ari Melber, Chris Matthews ,Lawrence O’Donnell and reports from correspondents in major cities.
Julio Vaqueiro will anchor coverage for Noticias Telemundo, which will include correspondents in Washington, New York, Los Angeles and Parkland.
CBS News will provide extensive multi-platform coverage of the march, starting with CBS This Morning: Saturday and continuing on CBSN, CBS News’ digital streaming news network; on the CBS Weekend News; online at CBSNews.com; and on CBS News Radio. Also, CBS Sunday Morning and Face the Nation will recap the event on Sunday. The network will also present a one-hour documentary that follows a group of students in the aftermath of the Parkland, FL school shooting. The documentary, 39 Days, will be broadcast Saturday at 8 PM ET/PT on CBS. It is produced by the staff of 48 Hours and CBS This Morning.
Fox News Channel will also present live coverage of the March for Our Lives events. Contributions will be provided by FNC’s Washington-based correspondents Griff Jenkins and Peter Doocy, along with reporter Ellison Barber live from the nation’s capital. Additionally, New York correspondent Bryan Llenas will be covering in New York City and additional live-feeds will be shown from across the nation.
MTV and several organizations will send 17 buses of young people from communities affected by gun violence to D.C. on Saturday for the march there. The buses will transport young people from Atlanta, GA; Baltimore and Bowie, MD; Chicago, IL; Greensboro, Laurinburg, Fayetteville, NC; New Jersey; New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Providence, RI and Richmond, VA.
MTV News and its social media will provide live coverage from the march, which will be appearing on MTV throughout the day. Additionally, Vic Mensa, who is performing, will also take over MTV’s Instagram Stories during the march. The network is also developing a documentary special featuring young people from across the country who are taking action against gun violence.
Univision Communications is also offering digital and social media support for the march via its Facebook, Instagram and Twitter outlets. The company is also partnering with Mi Familia Vota and Voto Latino, a voter registration hub in Washington D.C. at Georgetown Law School to register eligible individuals. The partners plan to have volunteers stationed along the march route to share voter education information and register eligible individuals from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. ET.
Samantha Bee and the Full Frontal staff will be filming a digital documentary and streaming live from the Full Frontal Facebook page. The show will also set up a sign-making station at the March.
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