+
upworthy
More

The Parkland survivors were just awarded a global peace prize.

Parkland school shooting survivors and founders of March For Our Lives have been awarded the International Children’s Peace Prize.

After a gunman shot and killed 17 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida last February, a group of survivors—part of a generation of kids who spent their childhoods doing active shooter drills in their classrooms—decided enough was enough. They took advantage of the microphones being thrust in their faces and used their voices to start a movement that has taken off like no other gun legislation campaign ever has.

These students are now being recognized on the world stage for their ongoing work to end gun violence. On November 20, anti-apartheid activist and renowned cleric Archbishop Desmond Tutu presented the Parkland teens’ organization, March For Our Lives, with the International Children’s Peace Prize in Cape Town, South Africa. The prize from the KidsRights Foundation is “awarded annually to a child who fights courageously for children’s rights. All winners have shown a remarkable commitment to combating problems millions of children face worldwide.”


Desmond Tutu called the students “true change-makers.”

“The peaceful campaign to demand safe schools and communities, and the eradication of gun violence, is reminiscent of other great peace movements in history,” Tutu said. “I am in awe of these children, whose powerful message is amplified by their youthful energy and an unshakable belief that children can—no, must—improve their own futures.”

It’s an inspiring yet sad commentary, as theoretically adults should be the ones improving the future for children. However, since American grown-ups have spent decades proving they won’t take meaningful legislative action to curb gun violence, kids have been left with no choice but to take it on themselves. And take it on they have.

March For Our Lives released a statement that reflects the students’ commitment and laser sharp focus on the issue: “We are truly humbled and grateful for this award, but know that our work will not stop until we end the appalling and preventable epidemic of gun violence in the United States.”

Emma Gonzáles, David Hogg, Jaclyn Corin, and brothers Matt and Ryan Deitsch, who have helped serve as the public faces of March For Our Lives, received the award in Cape Town. More than 100 children from around the world were nominated for the prize, previous recipients of which include Malala Yousafsai, the Pakistani youth who refused to stop speaking out for education even after being shot in the face.

The Parkland activists haven’t slowed down since the shooting.

The Parkland students organized March for Our Lives, a demonstration that drew hundreds of thousands of people to Washington, D.C. on March 24, 2018, and spurred hundreds of sister events around the world. MFOL has since evolved into an advocacy organization that pushes for lawmakers to stand up to the gun lobby, fund gun violence research, eliminate restrictions on the ATF, and pass various common sense gun legislation.

This summer, the students organized the Road to Change campaign, visiting communities in more than 20 states to help register young voters and spread the message that it's time to take action—legislatively and culturally—to end America's gun violence problem. They also pushed for youth turnout for the 2018 midterms with their #TurnoutTuesday series.

The Parkland survivors are on a serious mission to save lives, and they're clearly not going to stop until that missions is accomplished.

The gaze of the approving Boomer.

Over the past few years, Baby Boomers (1946 to 1964) have been getting a lot of grief from the generations that came after them, Gen X (1965 to 1980), Millenials (1981 to 1996), and now, Gen Z (1997 to 2012). Their grievances include environmental destruction, wealth hoarding, political polarization, and being judgemental when they don’t understand how hard it is for younger people to make it in America these days.

Every Baby Boomer is different, so it's wrong to paint them all with a broad brush. But it’s undeniable that each generation shares common values, and some are bound to come into conflict.

However, life in 2023 isn’t without its annoyances. Many that came about after the technological revolution put a phone in everyone’s hands and brought a whole new host of problems. Add the younger generations' hands-on approach to child rearing and penchant for outrage, and a lot of moden life has become insufferanble.

Keep ReadingShow less

Klein Kwagga understood the assignment at his sister's concert.

Some kids are too shy to ever want to get on a stage, some will spend most of a performance staring awkwardly at their shoes, and some kids love the opportunity to show off what they've practiced in front of an audience.

And then there are the kids were simply born for the spotlight. You know them when you see them.

When Dirkco Jansen van Nieuwenhuizen hopped on stage with all of the other brothers and sisters of the dance students at René’s Art of Dance in South Africa, no one expected a viral sensation. According to Capetown Etc, it was the school's year-end concert, and siblings were invited to come up and dance to Bernice West’s Lyfie—a popular song in Afrikaans. And Dirkco, who goes by Klein Kwagga, took the assignment and ran with it.

Keep ReadingShow less

Prepare to get Thatcherized.

It seems that Adele is going viral once again.

Perhaps you’ve seen the image in question previously (it seems to make the rounds every couple of years). But in case you missed it—it’s Adele’s face. Normal, just upside down.

Only it’s not normal. In fact, when you turn Adele’s face right side up, what you notice is that her eyes and mouth were actually right-side up THE ENTIRE TIME, even though the entire head was upside down. So when you turn the head right side up, the eyes and mouth are now UPSIDE-DOWN—and you can’t unsee it. Do you feel like you're Alice in Wonderland yet?

Keep ReadingShow less
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

People share the most practical ways to support new parents

There's a lot of preparation that goes into having a child well before they're even born. First there are the physical changes your body makes to clear up some space for a tiny human roughly the size of a watermelon. Then there's preparing the nursery, buying lots of extremely small clothes, diapers and an expected understanding that while sleep may be your friend, you won't be getting any of it for about a year.

Lots of people give plenty of advice to help you cope in the early days but after the baby arrives, the focus shifts to solely the baby. It's obviously not a deliberate shift. Babies are just more shiny and new that the parents. But not everyone forgets about the parents once baby makes their grand entrance–some go out of their way to make sure the parents feel supported.

Upworthy asked its audience, "what was the best non-baby related gift you received as a new parent," and the answers were a masterclass on how to care for new parents.

Keep ReadingShow less
Family

A mom seeks doctor's help for postpartum depression and instead gets a visit from the cops

Too many women lose out on much needed support because of unwarranted stigma.

Canva

Postpartum depression is very common, and treatable.

Jessica Porten recently visited her doctor four months after giving birth to her daughter, Kira. She wasn't feeling quite like herself.

She had been dealing with overwhelming sadness and fits of anger, which she knew was likely stemming from a case of postpartum depression.

In a Facebook post, Porten recounts the story of that appointment.

Keep ReadingShow less
Identity

Formerly enslaved man's response to his 'master' wanting him back is a literary masterpiece

"I would rather stay here and starve — and die, if it come to that — than have my girls brought to shame by the violence and wickedness of their young masters."

A photo of Jordan Anderson.

In 1825, at the approximate age of 8, Jordan Anderson (sometimes spelled "Jordon") was sold into slavery and would live as a servant of the Anderson family for 39 years. In 1864, the Union Army camped out on the Anderson plantation and he and his wife, Amanda, were liberated. The couple eventually made it safely to Dayton, Ohio, where, in July 1865, Jordan received a letter from his former owner, Colonel P.H. Anderson. The letter kindly asked Jordan to return to work on the plantation because it had fallen into disarray during the war.

On Aug. 7, 1865, Jordan dictated his response through his new boss, Valentine Winters, and it was published in the Cincinnati Commercial. The letter, entitled "Letter from a Freedman to His Old Master," was not only hilarious, but it showed compassion, defiance, and dignity. That year, the letter would be republished in theNew York Daily Tribune and Lydia Marie Child's "The Freedman's Book."

The letter mentions a "Miss Mary" (Col. Anderson's Wife), "Martha" (Col. Anderson's daughter), Henry (most likely Col. Anderson's son), and George Carter (a local carpenter).

Dayton, Ohio,
August 7, 1865
To My Old Master, Colonel P.H. Anderson, Big Spring, Tennessee

Keep ReadingShow less