September 18, 2025
The panel will delve into each speaker’s organizing journey, day‑to‑day strategy, and vision for a future beyond violence and complacency.
A student-initiated panel discussion featuring:
Andrew K. Ankamah Jr., The Accountability Initiative; Advisor for Pennsylvania State Representative Amen Brown
Jaclyn Corin, Survivor of the 2018 Parkland shooting; March For Our Lives
Larren Wells, Students Demand Action, University of Pittsburgh
In the United States, gun violence remains the leading cause of death for children and teens, and school shootings have become tragically routine. On February 14, 2018, the Parkland shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School left 17 students and educators dead and marked the deadliest school shooting since Sandy Hook. For many Gen Z Americans, the news broke while they were sitting behind a school desk. Since that day, there have been over 1,500 school shooting incidents across the country, some with even deadlier outcomes. Beyond schools, millions of American children live in homes where at least one firearm is stored loaded and unsecured, and many can access these weapons without their parents’ knowledge. As firearm-related injuries continue to rise, young people are leading a national push for evidence-based solutions.
From promoting safe storage laws and permit-to-purchase systems to advocating for red flag legislation and community violence intervention funding, Gen Z organizers are shifting both the public conversation and the policy landscape. Their efforts helped push forward the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first major federal gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years, and continue to shape grassroots action, voter engagement, and legislative lobbying at every level of government.
Joining the conversation are three powerful figures working across strategic advocacy and grassroots accountability:
- Andrew Ankamah Jr., founder of The Accountability Initiative, is leading efforts to address gun violence through grassroots accountability and justice-centered organizing.
- Jaclyn Corin is a survivor of the 2018 Parkland shooting, co-founded March For Our Lives, and now serves as executive director. She holds degrees from Harvard and Oxford and leads the movement in national strategy, voter mobilization, and holding pro-gun lawmakers accountable.
- Larren Wells is an engaged volunteer with Students Demand Action at the University of Pittsburgh, raising youth voices in Pennsylvania for safe communities and the passage of sensible gun laws.
Together, they will explore what it takes to sustain a movement, from building national infrastructure and cross-generational coalitions to dealing with political pushback and emotional fatigue. The panel will delve into each speaker’s organizing journey, day‑to‑day strategy, and vision for a future beyond violence and complacency. Attendees will gain insight into how leadership, whether born in tragedy or built through grassroots efforts, is shaping America’s next wave of gun violence prevention.
This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by the departments of American studies, psychology, and sociology and the Center for Civic Learning and Action. The Clarke Forum’s student project managers initiated this program. This program is part of the Clarke Forum’s Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty Series.
Further information
- Location: Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium
- Time: 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
- Cost: Free