Never one to mince words, George Clooney continued his support for Parkland, Florida, students on Friday.
“You make me proud of my country again,” Clooney penned in an open letter to the co-editors-in-chief of the Eagle Eye, Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school’s newspaper.
They have taken over the Guardian’s website for the weekend to run coverage of the March for Our Lives events planned across the US on Saturday.
The Ocean’s 11 actor confirmed that he and wife Amal, a human-rights lawyer, will be marching in Washington, in support of the movement but underlined a fundamental truth about the Parkland students’ journey.
“...This is your march. Your moment. Young people are taking it to the adults and that has been your most effective tool,” Clooney wrote.
“The fact that no adults will speak on the stage in DC is a powerful message to the world that if we can’t do something about gun violence, then you will,” he continued.
The Clooneys have already donated $500,000 (Dh1.8 million) to the March for Our Lives movement and are just a few of the celebrities who have spoken out and financially backed the cause.
Oprah Winfrey, Jeffrey and Marilyn Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw and high-end designer Gucci all pledged $500,000 each. Marc Benioff, Jimmy Fallon, Joshua Kushner, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, the cast of ABC’s Modern Family and Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union have also publicly donated to the movement.
But celebrity support was not limited merely to money.
Country music legend Garth Brooks debuted a new, untitled song whose lyrics highlighted this movement’s importance: “To my children I make this vow / To matter then, it must matter now.”
Bill Murray wrote an op-ed for NBC News THINK on Thursday, comparing the teen activists to Vietnam protesters who ultimately stopped the war.
Tony winners Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ben Platt are donating a portion of their profits from the Dear Evan Hansen/Hamilton mash-up song Found Tonight to March for Our Lives.
Connie Britton, Skai Jackson, Amy Schumer, Yara Shahidi and Olivia Wilde are scheduled speakers at Los Angeles’ March for Our Lives rally, with singer Charlie Puth scheduled to perform.
In Washington, the Parkland student activists will serve as the speakers, with musical performances from heavy-hitters such as Miley Cyrus, Common, Andra Day, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson and Demi Lovato.
Justin Bieber isn’t scheduled to perform but lent his support via Twitter.
“Proud of these kids,” Bieber wrote on Tuesday, alongside a graphic for the march.
Talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres shared a similar sentiment on Twitter on Thursday.
“These kids from Marjory Stoneman Douglas see a need for change in our world, and they’re doing something about it,” she tweeted.
With marches in LA, New York City and Washington, there are scheduled rallies in at least 838 locations around the world.
