What to Know
- "Road to Change" has a separate Florida tour that's a part of a nationwide tour aimed to register young people to vote
- The Florida bus tour will make 27 stops in key cities around the state until Aug. 1.
The "March For Our Lives" student activists of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School kicked off their Florida tour Friday in Parkland, aiming to get young people all over the state educated and registered to vote.
This statewide tour is a part of a nationwide tour known as "Road to Change," where student activists will also rally against gun violence.
“We gave up our summers to do all of this, but personally, for me, this is what’s most important and it’s what’s most important to all of us that we take action while we can,” said Kristen McConnell, a student.
“I need to be here. I don’t have another choice,” said Manuel Oliver, the father of Joaquin Oliver, who was killed in the February 14th shooting.
Joaquin’s father said he can’t get his son back, but he can support students committed to change.
“They are starting a battle to stop this from happening and I trust them and I really support them as much as I can. It’s a way to feel that Joaquin is also supporting them and is part of them,” said Oliver.
Local
The kick-off took place at the Parkland Equestrian Center. Alongside the student activists and their families, city commissioners and representatives will also be in attendance. The launch party included food trucks, carnival games and more.
“We’re going to be visiting all the congressional districts in Florida. It’s going to be really awesome just to go speak with all of our local representatives and get the word out. We’ve already been registering a bunch of people to vote,” said McConnell.
The Florida bus tour will visit all 27 congressional districts in Florida until Aug. 1, including Miami, Naples, Sarasota, Orlando and more. Click here for a full list.
The tour kicked off June 15 in Chicago, where celebrities joined Marjory Stoneman Douglas survivors for a Peace March and rally.
