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Oprah Winfrey donating $500,000 to Parkland students' 'March for Our Lives'

Posted at 6:10 AM, Feb 21, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-21 07:15:36-05

Oprah Winfrey has pledged to donate $500,000 to March for Our Lives, a rally formed following a deadly school shooting in Florida that aims for increased gun control and school safety measures. 

Oprah's donation comes after George and Amal Clooney announced they are donating $500,000 to the cause. The couple also said they would also join students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School for the rally on March 24 in the nation's capital.

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"Our children's lives depend on it," the couple said in a statement, according to BBC.

Oprah announced that she planned on matching that donation on Tuesday evening in a tweet.

"These inspiring young people remind me of the Freedom Riders of the 60s who also said we've had ENOUGH and our voices will be heard," the tweet reads.

 

 

The march was organized by survivors of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The shooting left 17 people dead.

"Here's a time to talk about gun control: March 24. My message for the people in office is: You're either with us or against us. We are losing our lives while the adults are playing around," said junior Cameron Kasky.

"Not one more. We cannot allow one more child to be shot at school. We cannot allow one more teacher to make a choice to jump in front of a firing assault rifle to save the lives of students. We cannot allow one more family to wait for a call or text that never comes. Our schools are unsafe. Our children and teachers are dying. We must make it our top priority to save these lives," the organization's mission statement 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. The collective voices of the March For Our Lives movement will be heard."