and one more request. listen. our mission is simple and our visions are unbeatable. let's keep the guns out of the hands of the wrong people and keep them in the hands and the safe and reasonable. so either you can join us or be on the side of history who prioritized their guns over the lives of others. the only way we can do this is in numbers. let's have our lawmakers reflect our views and address our struggles. let's stand. unite with one another. we, the people, still stand true so you, america, will have to choose. will you give up or is enough enough?

and i have one more request. today is march 24th, march for our lives. but it is also the birthday of nick dewart, someone who was senselessly murdered in front of me. today is his birthday. i would like to sing together happy birthday. one, two, three. ♪ happy birthday to you happy birthday to you happy birthday dear nick happy birthday to you ♪ thank you. thank you. >> chris matthews, arianna grande is the next to come out.

before she does, as they set the stage, can you imagine being able to pull this off at this age? >> well, first of all, as she said so eloquently, i just threw up on national television and it feels great. and because it's so true, the emotions. that's what i said about this whole day. what i love about it is the purity of it. it's about one thing, safety for our kids in school. there's some outriders here, but most of the people came with that one message. i know it's just the beginning but what a day. that passion. that woman who consoled her, a bit older than her, after she threw up. you don't fake this stuff. this is real emotion. and to sing happy birthday to one of the kids who were killed, it's a showstopper. >> talk to me about the crowd. you've been looking around where we are, looking at the wider shots of this city. >> i'm thinking about the fact

that advance is a powerful tool in politics. how you build the crowd, make the crowd look. usually you go to a confined space and overloaded so people are waiting outside n this case, the way the camera works today, it shows the tremendous numbers of people here. they set it up along constitution avenue here. or pennsylvania at this point. the way they set it up, it's just grand. it wasn't on the mall, it's on the side street. you can see the expanse of it. i think it will create a picture for the world and the overnight press. i think we're going to see it everywhere in the papers on nightly tonight or weekend news. it's a powerful statement, just a picture of the numbers. >> the crowd really is without end from the vantage point of the stage. here now, arianna grande.

>> d.c., what's up? ♪ ♪ say midnight shadows when finding love is a battle but daylight is so close so don't you worry about a thing ♪ ♪ we're gonna be all right we're gonna be all right ♪ ♪ baby don't you know all of them tears are gonna come and go baby you just gotta make up your

mind we decide it ♪ ♪ we're gonna be all right we're gonna be all right we're gonna be all right ♪ ♪ let's go ♪ slow motion can't seem to get where we're going but the hard times are golden cause they all lead to better days ♪ ♪ let's go come on ♪ ♪ all right we're gonna be all right we're gonna be all right we're gonna be all right we're gonna be all right ♪ ♪ we're gonna be all right we're gonna be all right ♪ ♪ we're gonna be all right ♪ baby don't you know all them tears gonna come and go baby you just gotta make up your mind that every little thing is gonna

be all right ♪ ♪ oh, baby ♪ don't you know all them tears are gonna come and go baby you just gotta make up your mind ♪ ♪ here we go ♪ we're gonna be all right we're gonna be all right ♪ ♪ we're gonna be all right baby be all right ♪ ♪ we're gonna be all right we're gonna be all right we're gonna be all right ♪ thank you so much. this is for these brilliant students here today that are leading this march and everybody participating. thank you so much for fighting for change and for love and safety and for our future. i love you all so much. thank you.

>> just taking in this, as arianna grande gets mobbed on her way off stage. chris matthews, it's really something. >> you know, you never know how everything works together but the weather is spectacular today. >> yeah. >> in washington. you can never predict march. comes in like a lion, out like a lamb. more lamb today. >> yeah. >> people are in such a good mood. it does, ironically, remind me anti-vietnam march on the pentagon in this city in 1967. i don't know whether they'll be in a positive mood four, five years later from now when they keep protesting and nothing has happened. i think we're sort of in the birth period of the anti-gun

movement, if you will, safety in school movement more particularly. i do think there's an upbeat mood today. they're at the creation. i hope they get something done to avoid bitterness. >> our family. our family because we're here fighting for the same goals. i say family because of all the pain i see in the crowd. and that pain is another reason why we are here. our pain makes us family. us hurting together brings us closer together to fight for something better. my name is alex king. i'm 17. i am a senior at north landale college prep as well as a peace warrior and leader with good kids mad city. chicago has been at the forefront of gun violence for a

very long time with 650 people being murdered in the year of 2017 and 771 being murdered in the year of 2016. but that's not it. gun violence travels in places like florida, baltimore, washington, d.c., los angeles. it happens nationwide. i know many -- i know many people who have lost loved ones, friends and family on a regular basis due to gun violence. my nephew, deshaun moore, he was taken away on may 28th in the year of 2017, two weeks after his 16th birthday. the day i lost my nephew was a huge turning point in my life. i started doing a lot of bad

things, hanging around a bad crowd. i started to really give up. but there's this principle by dr. king and it states the beloved community is the framework for the future. what that means is how our community is will be affected in the future if we don't make a change. if we're not acting like a family now, we won't act like a family in the fewer f pain is in our community now, pain will forever be in our community in the future if we don't make a change. our community has been affected by gun violence for so long and will continue to be affected by it if we don't do something. but through my friends and colleagues, i found help to come up out of a dark place. everyone doesn't have the same resources and support system as i was lucky to have.

myself, and a few other peace warriors were able to take a trip to visit parkland students and share our trauma with one another. we left not only knowing that we were supporting one another, but also realizing that without the problem gasroots resources, this issue of violence will not be solved and we will not stop until we are properly resourced in our communities. so family, let's continue to fight for what's right. since we are family now, i would like to pass on one of the traditions and that me and my family does. as i do this, i will ask that you follow me. this african clap we do at north landale that shows unity, which is unity is strength. look at the numbers in the crowd here today. do you see this? so here is how it go.

first i will say one. that's just a simple clap. when i say one it's like this. one. one. one. one. okay. now next i will say four and how that works is two sets of two. when i say four it goes like this. four. one, two. one, two. four. one, two. one, two. four. one, two. one, two. now here is the tricky part. now we're going to do ten which is two sets of three and two sets of two. so how this goes is when i say ten it goes like this. ten. one, two, three. one, two, three. one, two. one, two. ten. one, two, three. one, two, three. one two. one, two. do you all think we could do this as a family? >> let's go.

one. one. one. four. four. ten. ten. i love y'all. >> one. one. one. four. four. ten. [ cheers and applause ] >> for we are survivors. let me say that again for you. for we are survivors. [ cheers and applause ] we are survivors of a cruel and

silent nation, a nation where freedom, justice, equality and purpose is not upheld. a nation where we do not live out the true meanings of our creed. when will we as a nation understand that nonviolence is the way of life for a courageous people? when will we, as a nation, understand that we are not here to fight against one another, but we are here to fight for life and peace? dr. king once said darkness cannot drive out darkness. only light can do that. [ cheers and applause ]

hate cannot drive out hate. only love can do that. [ cheers and applause ] which now leads me to say that violence cannot drive out violence. only peace can do that. [ cheers and applause ] poverty cannot drive out poverty. only resources can do that. death cannot drive out death. only proactive life can do that. [ cheers and applause ] as i stand before you, i stand as deangelo mcdade, an 18-year-old from the west side of chicago. i, too, am a victim, a survivor and a victor of gun violence. i come from a place where minorities are controlled by both violence and poverty,

leading us to be deterred by success. but today we say no more. i stand before you, representing the body of those who have experience and lost their lives due to gun violence. for we are survivors. for i am a survivor. for we are survivors, not only of gun violence, but of silence. for we are survivors of the erratic productions of poverty. but not only that, we are the survivors of unjust policies and practices upheld by our senate. we are survivors of lack of resources within our schools. [ cheers and applause ] we are survivors of social, emotional and physical harm.

dr. king had a dream, a dream that we must now make our reality. ethesians says be completely humble and gentle. be patience. with love. make every count keep its unity of the spirit through peace and love. for first peter says in chapter four, verse eight, above all -- you ain't hearing me. it says above all, love each other deeply because love covers all wrongdoing. and for as we -- let me hear you say we. let me hear you say we. as youth must now be the change that we see.

my mother has this phrase that she uses all the time. and she told me before i left home to come deal with this, she says if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. and i stand for peace. >> hello. my name is matthew soto. and at the age of 15, i sat in my high school spanish class while my sister, victoria soto, was being slaughtered in her first grade classroom in newtown, connecticut. she went into school to make gingerbread classes before her first grade students before her holiday break. how many of you can remember doing that? the anticipation of waiting all

week, to have to be on your best behavior? but that was cut short. they didn't get to make gingerbread houses because gunfire rang out in the hallway. too many times has gunfire been ringing out in the hallways in schools across our country. too many schools. too many churches. too many movie theaters. too many neighborhoods. too many homes. enough is enough. we do not have to wait for others to make us safe. we need to do it ourselves. america, i am pleading with you to realize this is not okay. we do not have to live like this. to my fellow students, it is our time to stand up. register to vote. bring power to the polls and show those that say that our lives are not more important than a gun that we are important, that we matter.

get involved in your community because change, no matter how small, is change. many of the students that were in fourth grade when my sister was murdered are now freshman in high school. five years ago, this happened. five years ago. and no change has come. today, over 400 students, teachers and parents of newtown families are here, marching with us today. [ cheers and applause ] today we are presenting a banner to the parkland community from the newtown community. we know your pain. we know what you are going through and we are inspired by your fight for change.

we need to use our voices because we cannot change the past but we can can only fight to change and build a better future. [ cheers and applause ] i'm a junior at newtown high school. i live in sandy hook and i attended the sandy hook elementary school when i was in first grade to fourth grade. i was in sixth grade on lockdown for hours and hours when my neighbor shot his mother in her bed, then gunned down 20 children and six of our educators, including my principal. it was one of the worst days of my life. since then, i have attended vigils. i have protested in front of the gun lobby in our town. i have sent letters to congress. i traveled to d.c. to meet with congress to beg them to do something to stop gun violence,

but they did nothing. they didn't ban assault weapons or pass universal background check bills. and now the entire parkland community is shattered the way our town was after the massacre in my elementary school. we are here to support the stoneman douglas students. keep fighting as hard as you can. your voices are so important. your stories have truly changed the hearts and minds and together our stories will create the change that we need. [ cheers and applause ] if these mass shootings can happen in newtown and parkland, then they can happen anywhere. connecticut passed strong gun laws after sandy hook and congress should do the same. let's stand together to demand change. we will march with you. we will walk out with you.

we will vote with you. we will end gun violence in our country and we will honor, with action. >> my name is jackson middleman. i'm also a junior at newtown high school. tommy and i lead a gun violence prevention group that has been rallying since we were 11 years old to end gun violence in america. [ cheers and applause ] i was also on lockdown for five hours on 12/14/12, the worst day of my life. the sandy hook mass shooting should have been the last one in our nation but there are more and more every single day. that's why newtown says enough and we say never again. we have worked incredibly hard for the last five years to protect our communities, but apparently sandy hook was not enough for america to make the changes. but after parkland, we feel hope. you have inspired millions of

students and adults all around the world. we want to thank the parkland students and let them know that newtown high school students stand with them. long after the media trucks leave, we will stand by you, during your healing and recovery. we are forever connected by a tragedy that could have been prevented if our lawmakers had the courage to enact smart gun legislation. it touched our hearts when columbine high school sent us a banner with their message of love and hope. and we hope our message from newtown high school will help you through your darkest days. before we finish, i have a messa message. mr. trump, congress, the senate, and all elected leaders of america, you have failed us and we have had enough of your nra agenda. [ cheers and applause ] >> i'm calling out those who have taken money from the nra. you better bring that check to the bank and put it in your

retirement fund because we're going to vote you out! and now i would like to introduce a newtown and parkland demand for change. [ cheers and applause ] newtown wants change. parkland wants change. the world wants change! give it to us now! >> just going to say the presentation of a banner that forever will now link these two schools. joey bartolo-mayo is with us, editor of "seventeen" magazine.

given the constituency of her publication but how you got here and who you came with is also germane. tell us about that journey. >> "seventeen" took a bus down here with about 30 teens. it's always been a platform for teens to use their voices to learn about issues that are important. we thought it was really important for us to help some girls come down here so they could lend their voice to this march today. >> i'm also duty bound to ask you about the in-flight entertainment on your bus trip. you saw something very special. >> yes. we wanted the trip not just to be a bus ride where there was nothing going on. we had a streaming of rgb, documentary about ruth bader ginsburg. >> as an adult, having taken in this scene down here, what are why your thoughts? >> it's incredible. it's energizing and so moving and inspiring.

i know from talking to teens all the time that they're activists and really want change. seeing it at this level and the fact that the teens organized this and got all of these people to come here and all of these people to be across the world, having these events today, it's really amazing. >> 800 events. not quite as large as this one. let's listen in, back on stage. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> we refuse to be ignored by those who will not listen.

>> we deserve to feel safe in our own schools. >> the time for change is now! >> the smallest of words can make the biggest difference. >> be the voice for those who don't have one. >> together we have the power to change the world around us. ♪ ♪

♪ >> thank you. >> thank you. [ cheers and applause ] >> song composed for this event today. just having handed to me evidence of some -- some political disconnect today. the president is not here in washington. as we look at the pictures of, you know, chris matthews, just looking around said this appears to be a million people in

washington today. we don't know that. the park service is out of the business of crowd estimates, because it proved dicey and divisive after the million man march. so the crowd is whatever the best guess will be at the end of this day. the president has been golfing at mar-a-lago during much of this event. this was his tweet today. our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the horrible attack in france yesterday. and we grieve the nation's loss. we also condemn the violent actions of the attacker and anyone who would provide him support. we are with you, emmanuel macron, the president. so, a disconnect. here is one of the emerging voices from parkland.

>> six minutes and about 20 seconds. in a little over six minutes, 17 of our friends were taken from us, 15 were injured and everyone, absolutely everyone in the douglas community was forever altered. everyone who was there understands. everyone who has been touched by the cold grip of gun violence understands. for us, long, tearful, chaotic hours in the scorching afternoon sun were spent not knowing. no one understood the extent of what had happened. no one could believe that there were bodies in that building, waiting to be identified for over a day. no one knew that the people who were missing had stopped breathing long before any of us had even known that a code red had been called. no one could comprehend the devastating aftermath or how far this would reach or where this would go.

for those who still can't comprehend because they refuse to, i'll tell you where it went. right into the ground, six feet deep. six minutes and 20 seconds with an ar-15 and my friend, carmen, would never complain to me about piano practice. aaron feis would never call kiera miss sunshine. alex would never walk into school with his brother, ryan. helen ramsey would never hang out after school with max. gina montalto would never wave to her friend, liam at lunch. joaquin oliver would never play basketball with sam or dylan. chris hixon would never, luke hoyer would never. peter wang would never. alyssa would never. jamie guttenberg would never. meadow pollock would never.

[ cheers and applause ] [ silence ] [ crowd chanting ]

[ crowd chanting ] [ silence ]

[ silence ] [ silence ]

[ silence ] >> since the time that i came out here, it has been six minutes and 20 seconds. the shooter has ceased shooting and will soon abandon his rifle, blend in with the students as they escape and walk free for an hour before arrest. fight for your lives before it's someone else's job. [ cheers and applause ]

[ crowd chants ] [ cheers and applause ] [ crowd chants ]

[ crowd chants ] ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ come writers and critics prophesize with your pen and keep your eyes open the chance it won't come again ♪ ♪ and don't speak too soon for the wheel's still in spin there's no tellin' who that it's namin' ♪ ♪ for the loser will be able to win ♪ ♪ times they are a-changin'

♪ come senators congressmen take heed to the call don't block up the doorway and don't stand in front of the hall ♪ fots for he who gets hurt will be who has stalled there is a battle outside and it's ragin' and it shakes down the walls for times they are a-changin' ♪ ♪ change

♪ times are a-changin' ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ change do you want change times they are a-changin' ♪

>> we've all lost somebody. and i'm sure a long time ago you never thought you would be standing here today. but we're all here for a reason. we all got a story. we all got a purpose. and we all want what? ♪ we want change ♪ i want change do you want change ♪ ♪ now we're gonna sing it to you ♪ ♪ we want everybody to hear us saying do you want to hear it say change ♪ ♪ change ♪ let me hear you say change ♪ change ♪ oh, yeah

♪ change ♪ we we do ♪ change ♪ change ♪ change ♪ sing it ♪ change ♪ now i want to hear y'all can you say change ♪ ♪ change ♪ cause i'm gonna keep singing

till ♪ ♪ change we need change y'all ♪ [ crowd chants ] ♪ we want change [ crowd chants ] ♪ keep it going [ crowd chants ]

>> sing it to the rooftops. ♪ we want change come on let me hear you. ♪ change ♪ we can sing it together. i twoont hear y'all say ♪ change let me hear you say it. put your hand in there. ♪ change >> i want to hear you say. ♪ change >> i know you can get it out. ♪ change ♪ change ♪ you know we need we've been hurt too long i'm gonna keep on singing ♪ ♪ change

cause we don't get them back y'all. so we've got to change. ♪ change it before change it before anybody else get hurt ♪ ♪ put down the weapons and change your heart ♪ ♪ i cry from my heart y'all ♪ cause i got a story so i know ♪ ♪ it's your change cause you can make a change ♪ ♪ and we're not gonna get it until we keep on ♪ ♪ ♪ change ♪

♪

♪ ♪ i want to see change ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> is this mike working? nice. okay, cool. we want to thank you guys for come iing out here and we wouldt be here without you. there is no way in hell that we could ever have amounted to anything without the support of you guys. we all know what this is like

and it's up to us to stop it. so one last final plug. get out there and vote. get out there, get registered and if -- >> we are united. we are called the united states of america for that reason. together, we are whole. together we are one. look to your left. look to your right. brothers and sisters is what i see. together, we unite to make a whole. congress, politicians, you are the parents. hear your children cry. we want to come home. we want home, whole home. make our home well. make our home prosperous. make our generation the generation that fights. make a generation that is change. we are the change. look at us. look at your children. your children are the ones fighting for their rights because they're fighting for their life to survive. we are here today for the survival fact that no more, no

bloodshed due to the fact of a metal machine made by a human, triggered by a human. guns only serve one purpose. to take a life. they don't spare. they don't protect. they take lives. when you stare at a gun you know it's your end. we are saying no more. we are here to say we are united states of america and we are one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all! we are united! [ speaking foreign language ] for our people. [ speaking foreign language ] we will not stop. we shall not stop. we are magical. [ speaking foreign language ]

we are magic. we are power. [ speaking foreign language ] >> one last important note i think it's important that we realize we are -- just like we are all americans, we are all susceptible to the same corruption and greed, regardless of who you are, where you come from. what we have here, what is constantly being sowed are the seeds of corruption. it's our job as democracy to make sure that those seeds never sprout. the only way you can do that is by getting out and voting. if not for me, for everybody else on this stage and every single american child out there. vote for us. vote for our future. help us fight for our lives.

marchforourlives.com. >> just give the mike to him. >> hey, everyone. thank you all for coming today. if you look around, you are surrounded by the people who will be making this country a better place and who will be making it easier to sleep at night, easier to wake up in the morning and go to school and easier to be americans. so, to all of you who are assisting us in the fight for change, thank you. thank you all. and the fight begins today. and it will not end until we get what we need. thank you. [ cheers and applause ] >> the sound fades from the podium. we are left with the pictures of what chris matthews estimated just north or just south of a million people here in

washington. the foremost of up wards of 800 gatherings, all in the name of march for our lives. the last few minutes were overwhelming. emma gonzalez spoke with the power and authority of a few of our preachers and presidents. only the best of them. she spoke with a power and authority that exceeds most of the lawmakers their comments were aimed at today. she is one of the singular figures that has come out of this great tragedy. the perverse charge that was thrown at these kids were that they were crisis actors, that they were somehow paid professionals who knew to stand

by at this florida high school. when you think that these impressive young kids were just kids -- they were just high school students going on about their lives until this happened. now we know all of them. chris matthews, this is an incredible day. >> right. you know, brian, i'm recalling a great line from an old cult film which is people only really believe what they discover for themselves. and these kids didn't read about school shootings in the newspaper or hear about it on the nightly news or on ms. they experienced it, 187,000 kids, young people have been involved in schools, have been enrolled in schools during which there was a shooting. it's an incredible number. and that young kid from -- i said kid positively. from chicago, who said, who gave us that number today, which i will not forget. since 2006, 5,000 young people are shot dead, have been shot

dead. since that time in just the city of chicago. 1600 have been wounded. it's not just school shootings. it's violence affecting young people in the school-age category. and i think they've always experienced it -- not all these kids here. thank god not all of them here. maybe a huge number here. but there are so many who have first experience, firsthand experience. they've been blooded. they're blooded people. they're veterans of this. i think that's what gives them their authority. >> to someone's great credit we are hearing a sound overhead we have not heard all day. that is a helicopter. they've not been ever present. you may have noticed there were no aerial pictures during our coverage. that was intentional. this is the u.s. park police overhead. now, i'm sure, they are airborne to make sure the crowd gets out of here safely. but i say that because during the audacious moment of silence

that was emma gonzalez's idea, there was as close as you can come in a metropolitan area like this with a crowd this size silence in washington. >> you know what else i'm watching? like you i've been to many sports events, nascar events in your case, all kinds of football, baseball games. this is a clean crowd. i don't want to disparage other crowds, but i don't see much trash. >> no. >> on the ground. it's always a good sign that people are respectful of where they are and where they came to make their point. >> huge crowd. diverse crowd. again, this is just the start of it. the crowds we've been seeing during the day, we haven't always been able to reference the live pictures. we'll come to grips with it, i suppose, tonight, tomorrow and the days to come. boston. st. paul. the pictures coming in from seattle, houston, texas.

i don't mean to leave out any metropolitan areas. but what an extraordinary day. my friend, chris matthews, is going to take us the rest of the way. thank you, partner. >> thank you, brian. and we're still here. we'll be here. i have to say that this crowd isn't going anywhere for a while. anyway, good afternoon from washington. i'm chris matthews. what a day. we're down in the throng of this. hundreds of thousands of students and parents, people who have done so much to make their point today, to say we're not going to have the same old debate that's paralyzed this city of washington, d.c. when it comes to gun violence. we're here to watch and learn what a new generation can do. it's not just happening here in washington, as brian has said. we've watched tens of thousands of students join in, in places like raleigh, tampa, st. paul, minnesota, and across the country. joining me in washington, nbc news kerry sanders. what are your thoughts and what you're going to