Sarah Chadwick (activist)
Sarah Chadwick (born August 1, 2001) is an American activist against gun violence and one of the leaders of the Never Again MSD activist movement.[3]
Sarah Chadwick | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 1, 2001[1] Margate, Florida, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (graduated 2019) Syracuse University (2019–present)[2] |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Known for | Gun control advocacy |
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting
On the day of the shooting, she described how she saw dozens of police cars arriving at the scene, while some of her friends were texting her from classrooms near the gunshots.[4] In a televised interview, she stated that "never again should a child be afraid to go to school."[5]
Activism
A report in the Washington Post described her and fellow student Jaclyn Corin as "fierce" and particularly skilled at social media, effectively generating "8.7 times to volume of online conversations than the celebrities," according to a marketing analysis of the tweets of the Parkland students.[6] She had a Twitter following of 150,000 people as of February 24, 2018.[7] She has used satire and sarcasm to advance her agenda against gun violence.[8] She is opposed to the National Rifle Association as well as politicians who get funding from the NRA.[9] According to a report in the New York Times, Chadwick has been particularly effective in tweets to mock pro-gun politicians such as Marco Rubio:[10]
We should change the names of AR-15s to "Marco Rubio" since they are so easy to buy.
When President Trump offered condolences, she shot back with a tweet that went viral with 4,300 comments before it was removed:[11]
I don't want your condolences you fucking price of shit, my friends and teachers were shot. Multiple of my fellow classmates are dead. Do something instead of sending prayers. Prayers won't fix this. But Gun control will prevent it from happening again.
— Sarah Chadwick on Twitter, February 15, 2018[11]
When NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch posted a video saying that "your time is up", Chadwick posted a video response, using the hourglass meme:[12]
We've had enough of the lies, the sanctimony, the ignorance, the hatred, the pettiness, the NRA. We are done with your agenda to undermine the safety of our nation's youth, and the individual voices of the American people.
— Chadwick, March 7, 2018[12]
Personal life
Chadwick identifies as a lesbian, telling Teen Vogue sister magazine Them, "I'm gay, so I'm a lesbian."[13] The Huffington Post described Chadwick and fellow Never Again MSD co-founder Emma González as "part of the LGBTQ family".[14] She is also pro-choice.[13]
References
- @Sarahchadwickk (August 1, 2016). "My best friends mom wished me a happy birthday and I'm laughing really hard [photo]" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "Parkland shooting activist, Sarah Chadwick balances advocacy, student life". The Daily Orange. 13 October 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- Brett Clarkson (March 9, 2018). "Parkland student Sarah Chadwick spoofs that ominous NRA ad". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
... Sarah Chadwick, 16, one of the leaders and most visible activists of the student-organized #NeverAgain movement, stars in the spoof version, which was posted to Twitter on Tuesday and by Thursday had over 1.2 million views and over 20,000 retweets. ... Chadwick mimics Loesch's "The clock starts now" warning, turns over an hourglass ... a not-so-subtle dig at the NRA spokeswoman. ...
- CNN Wire (February 14, 2018). "The fire alarm blared. Then the gunshots began and students ran for their lives". WHNT News. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
..."I never thought something like this would happen, especially in Parkland, Florida. ...
- WFORTV (February 2018). "MSDHS Junior Sarah Chadwick: "Never Again Should A Child Be Afraid To Go To School"". CBS Miami. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
- Geoffrey A. Fowler (March 8, 2018). "They survived a school shooting only to wage battle in some of the nastiest corners of the Internet". Washington Post. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
... PARKLAND, Fla. — In person, Sarah Chadwick and Jaclyn Corin are fierce. And young. ... Chadwick, 16, as the Parkland kid who tweeted expletives at the president and deftly deflects attacks from politicians, gun-rights partisans, crazies and media personalities . ... Parkland students have produced 8.7 times the volume of online conversation than the celebrities ...
- Matt Pearce of the Los Angeles Times (February 24, 2018). "Parkland shooting survivors aren't here to play nice: This is what politicizing a tragedy looks like, and the kids are determined to keep doing it". Press Herald. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
... Since the shooting attack ... a student there, Sarah Chadwick, has amassed a Twitter following of more than 150,000 people . ...
- Brandon Carter (February 23, 2018). "Florida shooting survivor: We should call AR-15s 'Marco Rubio' because they're both easy to buy". The Hill. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
... A survivor of the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School criticized Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Twitter early Friday, suggesting he is "easy to buy" for accepting donations from the National Rifle Association (NRA). ...
- Linley Sanders (March 8, 2018). "Parkland Survivor Sarah Chadwick Spoofed Dana Loesch's NRA Hourglass Video". Teen Vogue. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
... Students ... know how to handle bullies and mean girls — and that's no different when they're dealing with the NRA lobbying group and politicians who want to delegitimize their #NeverAgain movement for gun control ...
- Jonah Engel Bronwich (March 7, 2018). "How the Parkland Students Got So Good at Social Media". The New York Times. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
... The Parkland students' use of quote tweets is one of their most effective tools. Ms. Chadwick, in particular, has used the technique, as well as other memes to mock the students' ideological opponents. ...
- Jennifer Sangalang (February 15, 2018). "Florida school shooting: Student's Trump tweet 'I don't want your condolences' goes viral". Florida Today. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
... Her tweet not only went viral, it had more than 4,300 comments before it was taken down. It was retweeted by Josh Gadd (who voiced Olaf from "Frozen"), who said: "Retweet this until you are blue in the face."...
- Charlie May (March 7, 2018). "A Parkland student just replied to the NRA's terrible attack ad: Sarah Chadwick returned the message to the NRA and to "every government official unwilling to take action"". Salon. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
..."We've had enough of the lies, the sanctimony, the ignorance, the hatred, the pettiness, the NRA," Chadwick said. ...
- Samhita Mukhopadhyay (March 23, 2018). "Queer Teenage Girls Are Leading the Gun Control Movement". Them. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
..."I'm gay, so I'm a lesbian ..."
- Beth Greenfield. "March For Our Lives And Gay Activism: 'They're Definitely Linked For Me,' Says Emma González". HuffPost. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
... only González and classmate Sarah Chadwick have identified themselves as being part of the LGBTQ family ...