This week’s report addresses gun violence in the United States. Many of us have been inspired by the fearless survivors of the Florida High School shooting on Valentine’s Day. Powerful speeches by teenagers, Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg have changed the conversation and I applaud them and the March For Our Lives Movement for their bravery and tenacity in their mission to reduce gun violence through sensible gun policies.
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in DC, and hundreds of cities in the United States and around the world. Here are voices from the March for Our Lives in San Jose, California and a clip from my BBC report which aired on Business Matters on March 27th.
I’m here because I don’t want to be afraid to go to school. I don’t want to say ‘I love you’ to my mom, ‘I hope I see you after school.’ Ashley Wilson, 15-year-old high school student who took part in the March for Our Lives in Silicon Valley, California on March 24, 2018. (photographed above by Shannon McElyea)
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Here are some highlights from the podcast
First, I spoke with MacKenzie Mossing a 24 year-old resident of Silicon Valley, California.
Mackenzie Mossing: I’m here because I think our system is really broken when kids have to fear going to school, when I have to fear going to music concerts, when you can buy an AR 15 before you can buy a beer.
Alison van Diggelen: Do you have a message for the NRA Leadership?
Mackenzie Mossing: Why is your right to own a gun bigger than my right to live?
Alison van Diggelen: Do you have a message for Emma Gonzalez?
Mackenzie Mossing: You are a true inspiration. Keep doing what you’re doing. We need more people like you to invoke change in the world.
Ashley Wilson: Enough is enough. School shootings should not happen…I’d like to see much less school shootings, shootings in general….(and) gun control.
Alison van Diggelen: What role do you feel businesses should play in this? Companies like Delta Airlines and several banks have stopped their incentives for NRA members. Do you agree with that and what more can companies do?
Ashley Wilson: I completely agree with that and I think more companies should join in.
Alison van Diggelen: Do you have a message for teens in Florida who’re taking to the streets in DC today?
Ashley Wilson: Know that the rest of the nation is with you, the rest of the world…We stand with you.
Alison van Diggelen: I asked 18 year-old Jacob Seichrist, a graduate of Branham High School in San Jose, and marketing manager, Chris Mossing, about the role of businesses in changing gun control policies.
Jacob Seichrist: I’m hoping these movements are getting out there to parts of America that are on the fence. They can see how important this is…we’ve had so many shootings already this year, it’s crazy to me.
Alison van Diggelen: Do you feel the business world has influence on this? For example Delta and Hertz have taken away their discounts for NRA members.. Do you think other businesses should do similar?
Jacob Seichrist: I think that that’s important. These brands and companies are making their statements, picking the side they want to support. Sometimes that’s going to be the way to convince people who’re on that fence…when they see that the companies that they use are on that side. It’s not just some vocal minority, it’s really real and a powerful thing. When companies do it, for some people, it’ll be a trigger of: “Wow, this is a real thing, this is something important…maybe it’s something I should look into…”
If I were a CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) of a large brand, I’d be paying a lot of attention to what’s happening today in the streets of the United States. Millennials are looking for brands to be on the right side of social issues, whether it’s clean food, environmental policies or in this case: gun control. Chris Mossing, Silicon Valley marketing manager
My live report on the BBC World Service was cut due to breaking world news, but in the last five minutes of the program, I highlighted the March For Our Lives and what it could mean for businesses and brands.
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Find out more:
What do Amal Clooney and Rick Steves have to say about gun violence in the United States?
