American Federation of Teachers and March for Our Lives to Continue Gun Safety Partnership, Work Closely on June 11 March

WASHINGTON—March for Our Lives Co-Founder and Parkland school shooting survivor David Hogg joined the American Federation of Teachers executive council meeting today, where the body voted unanimously, on behalf of the union’s 1.7 million educators, healthcare professionals and public employees, to partner with March for Our Lives on its June 11 event in Washington, D.C., and across the country. The vote follows the AFT’s announcement yesterday of a nationwide Enough Is Enough campaign, also in partnership with March for Our Lives, AFT affiliates and other allies.

Weingarten said:

“Our No. 1 priority is keeping our children, our members, our families and our communities safe, and that requires a commitment from every single one of us: educators, parents, students, faith leaders and legislators alike. We are teachers, nurses and public employees who have been on the front lines of the gun violence epidemic, and we’re standing side by side with the country’s students to demand action on gun safety before one more life is lost, whether it’s a mass shooting on school grounds or one of the countless instances of gun violence that take lives in our neighborhoods every day. Enough is enough. The vast majority of Americans have found common ground on preventing gun violence and want action on gun safety now.”

Hogg said:

“Our teachers are everything to America’s children. They’re counselors, mentors, they’re there for our highs and for our lows. In this moment of crisis, as gun violence has soared to become the leading cause of death in our children, our teachers are there with us shielding us with their care and sometimes even their own bodies. The threat to our lives from gun violence is unacceptable, and once again our teachers are here to fight for us. We’re organizing across the country with teachers, teacher aides, and our entire school communities to say: Enough is enough. This will be the beginning of the end of gun violence, and the American Federation of Teachers is there with us to make it happen.”