Parkland shooting survivors and gun reform activists to speak on campus

Gun reform activists Sofie Whitney and Ryan Deitsch, who are students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, will speak at Yale on Tuesday, April 24, as Poynter Fellows in Journalism.

Whitney and Deitsch’s talk, entitled “The Children Will Lead Us: Parkland Students and Gun Violence Prevention Advocates,” will take place at 5 p.m. in Rm. 317 of Linsly-Chittenden Hall, 63 High St. The event is co-sponsored by the Yale College Democrats.

Deitsch and Whitney are both seniors at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where a shooter killed 17 people — 14 students and three teachers — two months ago. Since the shooting, they have become activists. They helped to organize last month’s March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C., and they advocate for Congress and state legislatures to pass gun reform laws.

Deitsch is the founder of his high school’s improv comedy club and a student journalist. During the shooting, he filmed students’ reactions and shared videos of the aftermath in real time on Twitter. Whitney, who sings and plays guitar, has turned to music to help heal after the shooting. Both have been interviewed by several media outlets and published written accounts of their experiences during the shooting.

The Poynter Fellowship in Journalism was established by Nelson Poynter, who received his master’s degree in 1927 from Yale. The fellowship brings to campus distinguished reporters, editors and others who have made important contributions to the media. Among recent Poynter fellows are Vinson Cunningham, Nikole Hannah-Jones, and Hilary Andersson.