Hundreds of thousands of protesters flocked to the streets last Saturday calling for action against gun violence. The movement, coined the “March for Our Lives,” has sprung up after the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida. These same students gathered national support and worked to coordinate the events across the world.

All told, over 800 events occured in the United States alone, and in every continent across the globe aside from Antarctica.

The main protest, held in Washington D.C., drew crowds of over 500,000, as students from across the nation traveled in to make their voices heard. Students were not the only people in attendance however, as protesters of all ages, including several prominent figures, participated in the march.

George Clooney and his wife Amal marched alongside the protesters and donated 500,000 to the campaign as well. Miley Cyrus also made an appearance, singing “The Climb” before a captive audience at the march.

Ariana Grande, a victim of a horrendous shooting at one of her concerts, also stood with the protesters. Numerous other celebrities, from Kanye West to Demi Lovato, also marched with the students, demonstrating the enormous awareness and publicity the students of Parkland have been able to generate.

These protests are not just abstract events, however, but are relevant here to the students at PV.

Organized by #NeverAgain movement leaders Vashista Chintalapalli and Lily Williams, many PV students participated in a March right in the Quad Cities. Hundreds gathered in Vanderveer Park and a nearby church to protest gun violence on Sunday.

The group began at St. Paul Lutheran where members of the community spoke out about gun violence, including a man who lost his younger brother to a gun tragedy. According to attending student Lily Feldman, “Each word moved the audience and myself to tears. I’ve never experienced something so empowering as this march.”

After the heartfelt speeches, the group marched around Vanderveer Park, completing one full lap. People of all ages were in attendance, from the elderly to young children, all marching in the bitter cold for the same purpose.

Rebecca Abdullah, another PV student, commented on the diversity she witnessed at the event. “This was my first time attending a march and my first impression was that it was empowering to see that there are multiple groups just in the Quad Cities that are advocating change. I was surprised to see such a diverse audience in attendance, including parents, teens, children and even elderly people who could barely walk unassisted, yet they were still willing to get out on that afternoon and let their voice be heard.”

Such broad and substantial turnout demonstrates the far reaching effects this movement has had on the nation.

Unlike other shootings in the past, the political fervor prompted by the incident in Parkland did not sputter to a halt days after the calamity,  but instead escalated into a nationwide campaign. Protests of this magnitude become very difficult to ignore, and, as the participating students hope, will instigate change.

Feldman in particular spoke about the marches impact on those watching, congressmen and citizen alike. “As a student, I hope congressmen understand how knowledgeable we are with our issues. Marching is just one step towards making a difference. This march, specifically, helps people feel as if they are not alone on gun violence. It inspires people to do something with their voting rights and opinions.”

The impact of the marches was undoubtedly inspiring and the students involved should be commended for their actions. While many high schoolers would have opted to use that time to lounge or watch Tv, these students flocked to the streets to make their voices heard.

The path to enacting meaningful change will not be an easy one, but last Saturday fellow students and thousands across the globe marched along that path to bring us closer to the change we deserve.