George Clooney Pens Letter to Parkland Students: 'You Make Me Proud of My Country Again'
George Clooney has penned a letter to the student activists from Parkland, Florida, telling them, [...]
George Clooney has penned a letter to the student activists from Parkland, Florida, telling them, "You make me proud of my country again."
In the letter, which was published in The Guardian, Clooney directly addresses a few of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School students, including Emma Gonzalez, who has emerged as an outspoken leader of the group.
"Amal [Clooney] and I are 100% behind you and will be marching in DC on the 24th, but we both feel very strongly that this is your march. Your moment. Young people are taking it to the adults and that has been your most effective tool," The Oscar-winner said.
"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. The issue is going to be this, anyone you ask would feel proud to be interviewed by you but it's so much more effective if it's young people," he continued.
"You could talk to a dozen kids like the young kids from Chicago and LA that Emma met with. You could take over the Guardian and make it tell the stories of children by children," Clooney added. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to point to this moment and say it belongs to you. You certainly should do what you want but that would be my hope for you."
Finally, Deadline reports, he concluded his letter by telling the students that he and his wife "stand behind you, in support of you, in gratitude to you," and added, "You make me proud of my country again."
Gonzalez has seen her visibility as a student-activist-leader skyrocket in the weeks following the tragic shooting at her high school. She has even officially passed the NRA in Twitter followers.
Gonzalez created her account, @Emma4Change, on Feb. 18, and has already amassed over a million followers.
A gentle reminder that all we are aiming for here is stricter gun laws that make it harder for people to get guns (because it shouldn't be easier than getting a drivers license) and the removal of Military Grade Weapons from Civilian Society. #BanAssaultRifles #GunContolNow
— Emma González (@Emma4Change) February 25, 2018
According to CNN, the NRA created their account in 2009 and currently have just over 630,000 followers on the social media site.
Gonzalez has also passed NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch, who currently has nearly 840,000 followers.