[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It took just six minutes two years ago for 17 students and staff to be murdered at the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The impact of this senseless gun violence tragedy reverberated across the Nation and sparked a movement to end gun violence. The country and the world will never forget what happened on February 14, 2018.  The surviving students, their fellow students, faculty, their families and the community are continuing the conversation in 2020.  Flash forward.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”7282″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Hope and Healing thru Art & Music Post Parkland” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The students of Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School continue to heal and continue to speak up and out about gun violence, gun control and reform. Today, they sing out loud as a form of healing thru art and music as well as send a powerful message to keep the gun violence issue on the main stage.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”7281″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”‘Shine’ MSD” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Parkland students are honoring the victims and survivors of the deadly school shooting with original music performed from the ‘instrument of hope’ — a trumpet made from melted down AR-15 bullet casings. In a collaboration between two of the surviving Parkland students (Sawyer Garrity and Andrea Peña) and 71 musicians (66 trumpet players and 5 other musicians) they perform their song “Shine.” Created for ShineMSD, the nonprofit born after the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, they have since traveled the country with the instrument of hope aiming to keep the gun violence issue at the forefront. The music video originally debuted at The Sunset Film Festival.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/a2nm_RFFCjo” align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Sawyer Garrity and Andrea Peña channeled their pain and anger into writing an original song called Shine days after the tragedy. What started as a personal healing journey quickly grew into an anthem met with an overwhelming response from Parkland and those who saw them perform at the CNN town hall on February 21, 2018. Sawyer, Andrea, their families and friends realized the power of healing through artistic expression, and the positive impact the arts has in inspiring hope and unity in the aftermath of tragedy.

Join them at instrumentofhope.org[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”7280″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Parkland happened 2 years ago. Since then, there have been more than 750 mass shootings; more than 70 school shootings; 18 deaths and 45 injuries from school shootings.  Yet, still, no meaningful reforms![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”7266″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]For the last two years, the surviving students of the tragic Parkland shooting have carried an unimaginable emotional monkey around with them. Instead of turning inwards, these courageous young teens chose to take their grief and anger and turn it into advocacy, to make sure that gun violence and school shootings stops with Parkland. Socially Sparked News has written about their activities several times and it’s worth repeating here.

These young students are our Heroes and Next Generation leaders.  The gun violence issue needs more heroes like the Parkland students. Here’s hoping that their latest project will further ease their mental anguish and make significant inroads in the fight to stop the gun violence once and for all! Abbe is Socially Sparked®.  Tweet us @sosparkednews & @asparks01[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]