Ade Kanmbi teaches third grade at Barnard Elementary School in Washington, D.C. Wielding a sign that read “ARM ME WITH BOOKS NOT GUNS,” Kanmbi demonstrated against a system she feels is unfair to both teachers and students.
“I think it’s unconscionable some of the things we have to go through to get supplies,” she said. “The system doesn’t have money for books, for school supplies, but the system has money for guns?”
Kanmbi said she’s spent about $300 of her own money this year on supplies for her classroom, and she refuses to entertain the thought of carrying a gun at school. But first and foremost, she said, is making sure guns stay out of the wrong hands.
“It happened in Maryland a couple of days ago. It’s a matter of time before it happens here in D.C.” By Amy Zahn
One of hundreds of thousands of signs at the March for Our Lives rally in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. By Amy Zahn
Andre Dixon is a probation officer from Broward County, Florida. “We’re here today to make changes in the gun laws,” she said. “We want to protect our children.” Dixon’s 13 year old son attends American Heritage School in Plantation, Florida, a 20 minute drive from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
“I didn’t know what was going on. I got a phone call from my mom, and she was like, there’s been a terrible shooting at Stoneman Douglas,” she said. When she first heard news of a shooting, Dixon was worried it could be at her son’s school. She hopes the march will be a step in making sure what happened in Parkland won’t happen again — at her son’s school, or anywhere else.
“Hopefully today will make a difference and our government will make the changes that we need,” she said. By Amy Zahn
Dixon waved an American flag as she marched. By Amy Zahn
Alyssa Heard, 13, Felicia Foster, 11, and Valtavia Johnson, 15. The three came to the march from Ft. Lauderdale, Fl, with their church.
“We lost 17 lives in Florida, and we lost another three lives (sic) in Maryland, and altogether we shouldn’t be losing any lives over a situation like that,” Alyssa said. She said the Parkland shooting hit a little too close to home for her and her classmates.
“When you think about it, you think, ‘Oh, that could have been my school,’ or ‘It could have been me that died,’” she said. By Amy Zahn
A group of demonstrators in front of the National Archives at the March for Our Lives. By Amy Zahn
Two protest signs on the ground near the bushes next to the “What is Past is Prologue” statue in front of the National Archives. By Amy Zahn
A crowd of demonstrators listens to speakers at the March for Our Lives near the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 9th St. NW. By Amy Zahn
Almost a million people attended the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, flooding the streets of the capital. By Amy Zahn
A girl rises over a crowd of thousands at the March for Our Lives. By Amy Zahn
A demonstrator wearing a pussy hat, like the ones worn at the Women’s March, listens to speakers at the March for Our Lives near the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 9th St. NW. By Amy Zahn
A demonstrator clapping as he listens to speakers at the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C. By Amy Zahn
A child demonstrating at the March for Our Lives on Saturday near the National Archives. By Amy Zahn
A demonstrator listens to Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ben Platt perform at the March for Our Lives on Saturday. By Amy Zahn
Demonstrators laid their signs at a fence across the street from the White House after the crowds began to dissipate. By Amy Zahn