Engage in the Change: Our Generation Must Own Democracy
On February 14, 2018, David Hogg’s life changed forever.
As a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, he lost friends, classmates and teachers. A total of 17 people were killed when a lone teen gunman sprayed bullets from a high-powered military assault rifle. Hogg’s eloquent responses to America’s largest school shooting immediately placed him in the national and international media spotlight.
Committed to becoming an agent for change, he resolved that no other young person should have to experience the tragic impact of gun violence. He joined with friends from high school to co-found March for Our Lives, now one of the world’s largest youth-led movements. Five weeks after the shooting, March for Our Lives mobilized one of the biggest demonstrations in the nation’s history. Speaking before an estimated 800,000 protestors in Washington, D.C., he declared, “The sun shines on a new day—and it is ours!” Since then, his activism has taken him around the country, meeting with impacted families and diverse communities to deepen his knowledge of gun safety and the politics of ending gun violence. With his younger sister, Lauren, also a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, he co-wrote #NeverAgain, a New York Times bestseller. The two siblings also contributed to the best-selling book, "Glimmer of Hope: How Tragedy Sparked a Movement," a compilation of writing from the founders of March for Our Lives.
A 2023 graduate of Harvard University, Hogg recently co-founded Leaders We Deserve, a grassroots political organization dedicated to electing young progressives to Congress and State Legislatures across the country. A prolific voice on social media with more than a million followers, he uses his platform to promote civic engagement, activism and voting. As a speaker, he informs, challenges and energizes, empowering his generation to resist apathy and become catalysts for positive social change. “People call us snowflakes,” he once tweeted. “What happens when snowflakes vote? That’s called an avalanche.”
Mr. Hogg’s presentation is co-sponsored by the Mgrublian Center for Human Rights at CMC.