Several hundred student demonstrators gathered on the University of Tennessee's campus Saturday afternoon for a March For Our Lives in solidarity with students across the country.
"We march for every life lost to gun violence, and every life that will never be the same," said 17-year-old organizer Zoe Brookshire-Risley. "We march for solutions."
The march, which is part of a nationwide protest against gun violence, began with a gathering at the amphitheater adjacent to Humanities and Social Sciences Building around 2 p.m. Saturday. They proceeded to Circle Park, where demonstrators will be able to register to vote, get plugged in with local nonprofits and talk with candidates running for various offices.
People of all ages, genders and races showed up to rally at UT.
"I have never been so proud of anybody as I am these students," said Ann Pendley, wielding a sign that said "Grammies against gun violence." "They're so smart, well-spoken, and they're really starting to get involved. It's a little reminiscent of us that came of age during the Vietnam War."
More than 500,000 teens and adults were expected to take to the streets of Washington, D.C. Saturday. Much like the Women’s March, thousands of people are expected to attend sister marches across the country.
For many teens, this will be their first time protesting — and joining such a huge crowd can be daunting. Whether you’re an experienced activist or a first-time marcher, this checklist will help you prepare.
"We want people to continue to find ways to take action and speak out about this issue, not just on the day of the march, but moving forward and even looking toward the elections in November," UT senior Feroza Freeland said.
Freeland lost a friend to gun violence in 2015 and has been advocating gun reform for years, but she said the momentum after the Feb. 14 shooting in Parkland, Florida has carried a more sustained wave of activism.
"I think what's also really exciting about the movement right now is that it's primarily being led by students and young people," said Freeland. "We know that millennials are now the largest voting block in the country, and I think that's really exciting to see my own generation coming into our own politically and really using our voices and speaking out about issues that really matter to us and affect us directly."
Saturday's march is just one step of the process.
"I think that a lot of people are realizing that, number 1, we can't stand for this anymore, but number 2 that there is strength and power in numbers, so if we do all take a stand together and make our voices heard together, that we can actually affect change on this issue," Freeland said.
She said while many would argue that we've been past the point where enough is enough, she's glad we're there.
"This is ridiculous, we can't continue to live in a country where we have this many people dying from gun violence every day, and young people and students afraid to go to school and a lot of young people afraid to go outside in their own neighborhoods because of the gun violence there."