- Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama shared a message offline to Parkland school shooting survivors, dated March 10
- The private letter was first obtained my Mic News and published on Wednesday
- The message encourages survivors of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida on February 14 to continue to create change
- It was the Parkland shooting survivors that organized the March For Our Lives
- The movement, headed up in Washington, DC, seeks stricter gun control laws
- Over 800 demonstrations took place across the country on Saturday
- The current national debate on gun control was ignited when Nikolas Cruz, 19, admitted to killing 17 people and injuring 15 others with an AR-15 on February 14
- Cruz remains in custody, charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder
Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama shared a message offline to Parkland school shooting survivors, dated March 10.
The letter, which was first obtained my Mic News and published on Wednesday, encourages the survivors of the tragedy that occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14 to embrace this moment as theirs to create change.
‘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,’ the two wrote.
It was the Parkland shooting survivors that banded together to organize the March For Our Lives movement being held on Saturday across the country, with its flagship demonstration in Washington, DC and over 800 sisters marches, nationwide.
Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama shared a message offline to Parkland school shooting survivors, dated March 10, and made public my Mic News on Wednesday; They are seen here at the White House in Washington, DC in September 2016
The letter, addressed to the students of Parkland, reads as follows:
‘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.
‘Not only have you supported and comforted each other, but you’ve helped awaken the conscience of the nation, and challenged decision-makers to make the safety of our children the country’s top priority.
‘Throughout our history, young people like you have led the way in making America better. There may be setbacks; you may sometimes feel like progress is too slow in coming. But we have no doubt you are going to make an enormous difference in the days and years to come, and we will be there for you.
‘Barack Obama Michelle Obama.’
The message encourages the survivors of the tragedy that occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14 to embrace this moment as theirs to create change
Former first Lady Michelle and former president Barack Obama are introduced at the inaugural Obama Foundation Summit on October 31, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois
The goal of the March For Our Lives movement is to demand stricter gun control laws, in the hopes that school shootings won’t happen any more.
It was the school shooting massacre that happened on Valentine’s Day in Florida that has ignited the current nationwide debate on gun control.
Nikolas Cruz, 19, admitted to killing 17 people and injuring 15 others on February 14 with an AR-15 that he had obtained legally.
The March For Our Lives demonstrations seek to call attention to the need for common sense gun reform that prevents tragic like this from happening.
Cruz remains in custody in Florida, charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.
PICTURED: Fourteen students, geography teacher, coach and athletic director shot dead in Florida high school massacre
Jaime Guttenberg, 14, (left) was described by relatives as a ‘kind-hearted, sweet’ girl. She attended the school with her younger brother who survived and rushed home afterwards. Senior Nicholas Dworet (right) was a gifted swimmer who had his sights set on 2020 Tokyo Olympics success. His devastated college student girlfriend is among those grieving his death. Friends said he was not just a talented athlete, but a ‘good guy’ who will be missed
Martin Duque, 14, (left) was missing for hours on Wednesday and his frantic family desperately appealed for him to get in touch on social media. On Thursday, his older brother Miguel confirmed his death. Martin was a freshman. Meadow Pollack, 18, (right) was preparing for college. Her father was at the school on Wednesday and showed her photograph around in the hope that she would be found alive
Cara Loughran (left) was missing on Wednesday afternoon. Her mother Denise and her father rushed to the designated hotel where parents were told to go to be reunited with their children in the hope that she would be found alive. Her grieving neighbor confirmed her death on Thursday. Alyssa Alhadeff, 15, (right) was eulogized by her mother who said she was a talented soccer player and creative mind. ‘All she had to offer the world was love… I just sent her to school and she was shot and killed,’ she said
Luke Hoyer, 15, (left) was described as a ‘precious’ child by his grandparents who confirmed his death. They found out about the shooting on television. They said he was a ‘good kid’ who ‘never got in trouble’. Joaquin Oliver, 17, (right) was also killed. Joaquin was a Venezuelan immigrant who came to the US with his family for a ‘better future’, they said on Thursday
Gina Montalto, 15, (left) was described as a ‘light and joy’. She and Jaime, another victim, volunteered at a local project called The Friendship Initiative where they acted as buddies for children with special needs. Gina’s mother Jennifer shared pleas to find her on social media on Wednesday. Alaina Petty, 14, (right) was also killed. Her Mormon church confirmed her death, saying she was a ‘valiant’ member
Carmen Schentrup, 16, (left) was also killed in the shooting. Carmen was a gifted student who last year was named as a semifinalist in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program. It includes students who score above average in their SATs or National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. ROTC student Peter Wang, 15, (right) also died. His parents speak little English and relied on their neighbor to post social media appeals looking for him. They went to the Marriott hotel with other parents to wait for news of him on Wednesday night and have since confirmed that he was among those killed
Alex Schachter, 14, (left) was also killed. His mother died when he was a child and he attended the school in Florida with his brother, who survived. The teenager’s father Max said he was a ‘sweetheart of a child’ who ‘just wanted to do well and please his parents’. Helena Ramsey, 17, (right) was described by relatives as a ‘reserved’ and studious girl who was due to go to college next year
Geography Scott Beigel, 35, (left) was shot dead as he tried to lock the door of his classroom again after letting a group of fleeing students in to hide. They were running away from the gunman. Aaron Feis, 37, (right) died acting as a human shield. The track coach had thrown himself on top of the kids to stop the bullets from hitting him. He was a former student and was also a security guard at the school where he had worked for eight years
Athletic director Chris Hixon, 49, was also killed shielding students
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