Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg have joined forces with George Clooney to each donate $500,000 to the March for Our Lives rally on Washington in support of gun control following last week’s shooting at a Florida high school that left 17 dead.
Winfrey announced in a tweet on Tuesday that should would match the $500,000 donation from Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney.
‘George and Amal, I couldn’t agree with you more. I am joining forces with you and will match your $500,000 donation to ‘March For Our Lives,’ Winfrey tweeted.
Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg have joined forces with George Clooney to each donate $500,000 to the March for Our Lives rally on Washington in support of gun control following last week’s shooting at a Florida high school that left 17 dead
Winfrey announced in a tweet on Tuesday that should would match the $500,000 donation from Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney
‘These inspiring young people remind me of the Freedom Riders of the 60s who also said we’ve had ENOUGH and our voices will be heard,’ she added.
Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, where a 19-year-old former student is accused of going on a rampage with a semiautomatic AR-15-style assault rifle on Feb. 14, are assisting in planning the march.
George and Amal were the first to make the financial pledge and also said they will march alongside the students behind the rally on March 24.
The Clooneys said they plan to bring their eight-month-old twins Ella and Alexander whose ‘lives depend’ on a change to gun laws.
In a statement, Clooney, 56, said: ‘Amal and I are so inspired by the courage and eloquence of these young men and women from Stoneman Douglas High School.
‘Our family will be there on March 24 to stand side by side with this incredible generation of young people from all over the country, and in the name of our children Ella and Alexander, we’re donating $500,000 to help pay for this groundbreaking event.
It is the Clooneys’ latest good cause.
In September, the couple pocketed between $200million and $300million from the sale of George’s tequila company, Casamigos.
George and Amal (pictured in October 2017) were the first to make the financial pledge and also said they will march alongside the students behind the rally on March 24
The March for Our Lives will take place in Parkland, Florida, on March 24
They vowed to use the money on charitable causes that were close to their heart.
Among those was the education and housing of a Yazidi refugee who they have been putting up in Kentucky.
They also pledged $20million to their foundation, the Clooney Foundation for Justice.
Jeffrey Katzenberg and his wife Marilyn have also donated $500,000 to the march
Other March for Our Lives events have been planned for Ohio, Washington DC, New York City and Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Everytown for Gun Safety is helping with the arrangements for each.
Later on Tuesday, Spielberg and wife Kate Capshaw said they would match the Clooneys’ donation.
Spielberg and Capshaw, in an emailed statement, said: ‘The young students in Florida and now across the country are already demonstrating their leadership with a confidence and maturity that belies their ages.’
It was not immediately clear whether they and Winfrey would attend the march.
Former Walt Disney Studios chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg and his wife Marilyn also matched the Clooneys’ donation on Tuesday.
In a statement to DailyMail.com, he said: ‘Marilyn and I are proud to stand with the brave young leaders from Parkland, Florida, who have taken their pain and grief and turned it into action.
‘We will join Amal and George Clooney on March 24 to stand alongside these remarkable young people.
‘We are also donating $500,000 to March for Our Lives to support this historic event.’
Seventeen people were killed by gunman Nikolas Cruz on February 14. He bought his AR-15 rifle legally.
The Parkland rally is being organized by five survivors of last week’s shooting.
Emma Gonzalez, one of the survivors of last week’s shooting who has been leading calls for law makers to make gun ownership rules stricter
The March for Our Lives event is one of several rallies being organized by students across the country in support of stronger gun laws, challenging politicians they say have failed to protect them. Protesters hold signs on February 17 during a rally three days after the shooting
They are Jacqueline Coren, Emma Gonzalez, Cameron Kasky, David Hogg, and Alex Wind, all of whom escaped the building as Cruz sprayed their classmates and teachers with bullets.
Within hours of Wednesday’s shooting, teenage survivors implored congress to change gun laws.
Republicans have focused discussions on making stricter background checks and tackling the issue of mental health rather than the availability of weapons.
The March for Our Lives event is one of several rallies being organized by students across the country in support of stronger gun laws, challenging politicians they say have failed to protect them.
Busloads of Florida students headed to the state capital Tallahassee on Tuesday to call for a ban on assault rifles.
Other celebrities have voiced their support for the students’ efforts on social media, including Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Cher.
Gun ownership is protected by the Second Amendment of the US Constitution and remains one of the nation’s more divisive issues.