Newtown High School senior Sarah Clements, found and chairwoman of the Newtown Action Alliance, will journey to the White House on Thursday to be among nine people nationally who have tried to cut down on gun violence and will be honored by President Barack Obama. Her mother surivived the December 12, 2014 school shooting.
This from the White House: “Although a minority of the Senate voted down common-sense legislation, the Administration is continuing to take key steps to reduce gun violence by implementing more than 23 executive actions and elevating successful local efforts. This week, the Administration will highlight the critical work some of these local leaders have spearheaded to make their neighborhoods safer and to keep firearms out of the wrong hands. In his State of the Union Address, President Obama declared, ‘Citizenship means standing up for the lives that gun violence steals from us each day. I have seen the courage of parents, students, pastors, and police officers all over this country who say ‘we are not afraid,’ and I intend to keep trying, with or without Congress, to help stop more tragedies from visiting innocent Americans in our movie theaters, shopping malls, or schools like Sandy Hook.’
The White House created the Champions of Change program to feature individuals doing extraordinary things to empower, inspire and support members of their communities.
The event is closed to press but will be live streamed on the White House website. To watch this event live, visit www.whitehouse.gov/live at 10:00 am ET on April 3rd. To learn more about the White House Champions of Change program and nominate a Champion, visit www.whitehouse.gov/champions.
Sarah Clements founded and serves as Chairwoman for the Jr. Newtown Action Alliance. She is a senior at Newtown High School in Newtown, CT. On December 14th, 2012 her mother survived the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. After the shooting, Sarah began using gun violence prevention advocacy to transform her painful experience into positive action. Jr. NAA is the student branch of the Newtown Action Alliance, and the group focuses on educating, empowering, and collaborating with other Millennials to address gun violence in every type of community, through legislative action, cultural change, and bridge building. The group’s goal for 2014 is to bring together urban, suburban, and rural youth to share stories and work together to reduce gun violence, as the issue so disproportionately effects the Millennial generation. Sarah is also a Gun Violence Prevention Network Volunteer Lead at Generation Progress, the youth advocacy branch of the Center for American Progress, where she assists in creating a national network of young people working on gun violence prevention on high school and college campuses.”