Washington | Pavement Pieces

March for Our Lives, Washington D.C

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

March, 25
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Demonstrators call for immigration reform in D.C.

Almost 200,000 demonstrators gather in Photo by Elisa Lagos

Almost 200,000 demonstrators gather in the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on March 21. Photo by Elisa Lagos

Tens of thousands of people descended on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Sunday to call on President Obama and Congress to enact immigration reform. Demonstrators carried American flags and signs, and some even held crosses with the names of those who died while crossing the border into the United States.

Nearly 200,000 demonstrators came from across the country, according to rally organizers. Some drove from as far as California or Florida to bring the immigration debate back to the forefront.

“We came in buses from Florida,” Jorge Sierra said in Spanish. “It’s important that Obama know we want (immigration) reform. If not now, when?”

President Obama laid a timetable for immigration overhaul last year when he said his administration would tackle reform by early 2010. Demonstrators in Washington said they want to hold Obama to that promise, but immigration reform has been largely overshadowed by the battle over health care and financial overhaul.

In a video message, the president tried to reassure demonstrators that immigration reform is still a top priority all while the House of Representatives prepared for a vote on the Senate’s health-care bill. The bill passed in a historic vote late Sunday.

“I think they will take (immigration reform) up. Obama’s next step will probably be financial reform, which is necessary, but immigrants are highly important to the economy as well. He can’t ignore the issue,” said Charlotte Jones-Carroll of Maryland.

Maria Cardenas and Jorge Sierra, both from Florida, participate in a large demonstration in Washington, D.C. Photo by Elisa Lagos

The immigration debate last came to a head in 2007 when the country was embroiled in a bitter dispute that gave rise to the Minute Men movement and a 1,951-mile long wall along the U.S.–Mexico border. There is already an inkling of reform on Capitol Hill as senators Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) outlined the beginnings of a new bill that would pave a road for illegal immigrants to become citizens. But many of those in favor of reform want more than a path toward legal status — they want the immigration system completely revamped.

“Citizenship is good, but they need to do something to help the children who suffer most when their parents are taken and deported,” said Maria Cardenas of Florida. “They need to find a way to keep families together. You don’t know how those children suffer. You don’t know what they go through.”

The last time the immigration reform legislation passed in Congress was the 1996 Illegal Immigrant Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act that made it easier for the government to deport illegal immigrants. But as immigration increased and the number of undocumented workers reached approximately 12 million, reform supporters say the country needs immigration overhaul sooner than later.