David Hogg is an American gun control activist who is himself a survivor of a school shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018. Since the shooting, he has helped organize many protests and boycotts. David started out his lecture by talking about the tragic event he and his friends experienced. He expressed anger that the shooter ha a history of mental illness, xenophobia, and racism and had made violent threats in the past but still was allowed to own a firearm. He recalled hiding in a classroom and interviewing his peers while the shooting was happening. He explained that he did this because far too often, politicians will refuse to have meaningful conversation in the wake of a school shooting because they don’t want to “politicize tragedy”. He argued that if people could hear student victims actively say that something needs to be done, and if people could hear the fear in their voices, it would be hard to continue to ignore the issue, one that has been ongoing for years. He further explained that if students did not begin to speak up and advocate for better gun control, the debate surrounding it would continue without solutions for years to come. This is what motivated him to get involved in advocacy.

David then discussed the different forms of protest he has been involved in. He helped organize a boycott of NRA’s corporate sponsors, which led to the special interest group losing much of their financial backing. He and his peers also went to Florida’s capitol, Tallahassee, to demand stricter gun laws. David explained that it is important to speak to legislatures themselves because even if they ran their campaign on promises to enact such laws, they often get tied up in other things and fail to deliver on their promises. He stated that “the only good politician is one that is afraid” of losing reelection because then they must do more to address the issues that matter most to their constituents. He also described the march on Washington that he and his peers organized, which was the largest youth protest in American history.

One of the messages Hogg really emphasized throughout the lecture was the “power of education to fight hatred.” He explained that when you speak down to or become aggressive with others, you reinforce their world view. On the other hand, when you level with people and speak candidly, real progress can be made. “It is hard to hate someone that you know,” he added.

I found the way that Hogg has dedicated his life to advocacy really inspiring. He explained how there were weeks where all he did from the time he woke up to the time he went to sleep was advocate for better gun regulations. Despite all that he has been through, he has a hopeful and positive attitude. He stated that “cynicism is deadly to our democracy,” and urged us not to allow our government to become a self-fulfilling prophecy by believing nothing will get done. I think this is a really important message for young people today to here, because far too many believe that their vote and their actions don’t matter. David stated that “no one is coming to save us,” and he’s right. It is up to the American people to bring about the changes we want to see.