George and Amal Clooney will participate in The March for Our Lives on March 24 and will donate $500,000 to help pay for the event, the couple announced Tuesday.
“Amal and I are so inspired by the courage and eloquence of these young men and women from Stoneman Douglas High School,” Clooney said in a statement. “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. Our children’s lives depend on it.”
Teen survivors of the school shooting in Florida last week called for a march on Washington to demand an end to gun violence. On the event’s official website, it reads, “On March 24, the kids and families of March For Our Lives will take to the streets of Washington DC to demand that their lives and safety become a priority and that we end gun violence and mass shootings in our schools today.”
Following the Clooney announcement, Jeffrey and Marilyn Katzenberg said they would also be donating $500,000 to the event: “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.”
Last Wednesday, a man opened fire on a high school in Parkland, Fla., leaving 17 people dead. The latest school shooting brought the topic of gun control back into the national conversation, sending both Parkland and the hashtag #GunControlNow trending across the country.
The suspect was later identified as Nikolas Cruz, a former student who had been expelled for disciplinary reasons. At least 14 more were injured.
(Excerpt) Read More in: The Wrap