Submitted by Leslie Hutchinson, Liane Olsan and Julia Turney

Orcas Islanders will gather for a “sibling march” as part of the March For Our Lives movement at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 24, at the Village Green. The march is one of the hundreds happening around the country planned by students and survivors of gun violence in communities big and small, in Washington DC and in all 50 states, continuing the movement begun with the school walkouts on March 14. The national day of action on March 24 will focus on calling for lawmakers to make students’ lives and safety a priority and to pass common-sense gun safety legislation.

Islanders will meet at Eastsound Village Green and march peacefully through Eastsound: up North Beach Road to School Street, past Orcas School, down Madrona St. to Rose Street, along Rose St. to Prune Alley, down Prune Alley to Main Sreet and back up North Beach Road to the green. Once the march has concluded, attendees will hear from San Juan County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Amy Vira and other speakers and have an opportunity to exchange ideas. Community members are encouraged to carry signs expressing their views on gun violence and their concern for children’s lives and safety. For more information on the marches nationwide, visit marchforourlives.com.