Tag: March for Our Lives

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Cameron Kasky To Attend State Of The Union Address

Cameron Kasky at the March for Our Lives (screen capture)

The Washington Post reports one of the survivor activists from the mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida will attend this year’s State of the Union address next Tuesday as the guest of a Democratic congressman.

Rep. Eric Swalwell of California has invited activist Cameron Kasky to join him at the SOTU next week.

In the aftermath of the deadly shooting that left 17 dead, Kasky co-founded Never Again MSD, an advocacy group that lobbies for stricter gun laws. He also helped organize the March for Our Lives protest that took place in Washington, D.C. last March.

Kasky famously told CNN shortly after the shooting, “My message for the people in office is: You’re either with us or against us. We are losing our lives while the adults are playing around.”

Swalwell said in a statement he personally admires the “remarkable strength” Kasky has shown since the “unimaginable” shooting at Stoneman Douglas.

“He stands at the forefront of the fight for action to address gun violence,” said Swalwell. “I’m proud to have Cameron join me at the U.S. Capitol, nearly one year after he faced a horror no kid should endure at school, to continue this fight, because there is no right more important than the right to live.”

Swalwell has called for legislation banning military-style semiautomatic weapons. He is also reportedly considering a run for the White House in 2020.

Kasky joked on his Twitter that he would be running himself in 2020, co-opting Barack Obama’s campaign slogan a bit with #YesWeCam.

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Today: March For Our Lives Rallies Across The U.S. And The World

Hundreds of thousands of people across the entire United States and every continent except Antarctica are marching today to protest the lack of action by lawmakers to cope with the gun massacres that have occurred in schools.

From The New York Times:

The student activists, many of them sharp-tongued and defiant in the face of politicians and gun lobbyists, have kept attention on the issue in a time of renewed political activism on the left, as they helped lead a national school walkout and pushed state officials in Florida to enact gun legislation. The effectiveness of the students’ efforts will be measured, in part, on the success of Saturday’s events — their most ambitious show of force yet.

Here’s what we’re watching as protests unfurl around the globe:

• More than 800 protests are planned in every American state and on every continent except for Antarctica, according to a website set up by organizers. Here’s a map of planned protests.

• The National Park Service has approved a permit for the Washington march that estimates 500,000 people could attend. Called March for Our Lives, the main event there kicks off around midday, and some of the most prominent student activists from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where a shooting left 17 dead last month, will speak.

• On Saturday, the White House said in a statement, “We applaud the many courageous young Americans exercising their First Amendment rights today.”

Follow the rallies on Twitter via the hashtag #MarchForOurLives

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News Round-Up: March 20, 2018

(image via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Timeout Magazine shares its 2018 round-up of the 20 Hottest Dancers on Broadway including Mr. Adam Perry (above).

• From one lesbian to another: Former New York City council speaker Christine Quinn slammed Cynthia Nixon “as an unqualified lesbian” a day after the actress announced her run for New York governor. Quinn later walked her comments back.

• HUD Secretary Ben Carson told a House Appropriations committee today that transgender people in a homeless shelter make others uncomfortable.

• An openly gay Marine Corps veteran is running for a seat in the Alabama state House.

• Michelangelo Signorile explains why it matters that a gay man helped Trump backers exploit Facebook data.

• Justin Timberlake and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser welcome the thousands of protesters who are expected to descend on the District for the “March for Our Lives” rally Saturday.

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Lin-Manuel Miranda & Ben Platt Team Up For Hamilton-Dear Evan Hansen Mashup: “Found / Tonight”

Two Tony Award winners singing a mashup of two songs from back-to-back Tony Award winning scores and a portion of the proceeds go to help the March for Our Lives initiative.

Nope – can’t find a thing wrong with that.

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ben Platt finally team up for a mash-up of Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen.

The new single “Found/Tonight,” arranged by Alex Lacamoire, brings together Hamilton’s “The Story of Tonight” with Dear Evan Hansen‘s “You Will Be Found,” adding up to a truly anthemic theme song for the upcoming nationwide protest against gun violence, March for Our Lives.

USA Today sets up the two songs that become musical magic:

“The Story of Tonight,” from Hamilton, is sung by a young Alexander Hamilton, Marquis de Lafayette, John Laurens and Hercules Mulligan, who share a round of drinks and camaraderie before joining the American Revolution.

“You Will Be Found,” from the 2017 Tony winner for best musical Dear Evan Hansen, is a speech about loneliness and friendship intended to keep alive the memory of a high school pal who committed suicide.

And here’s how it comes together:

 Even when the dark comes crashing through, when you need a friend to carry you,
When you’re broken on the ground, you will be found
So let the sun come streaming in cause you’ll reach up and you’ll rise again,
If you only look around, you will be found

 And when our children tell their story, they’ll tell the story of tonight
No matter what they tell you tomorrow there’ll be more of us
Telling the story of tonight 

Bonus points for Platt getting to sing the word “tonight” as he’s publicly campaigning to play “Tony” in the upcoming movie remake of West Side Story.

Watch below. Click here to listen on Spotify or download from iTunes.

One of the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where last month’s devastating gun massacre left 17 dead, clearly got the feels intended as he promoted the song on Twitter: