SAN DIEGO — The Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center hosted two former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students who survived last year's deadly shooting at the school to discuss their co-written book, "Glimmer of Hope: How Tragedy Sparked a Movement," on Sunday.
Sofie Whitney and Brendan Duff co-wrote the book with 23 other Stoneman Douglas students. The book, a series of essays, chronicles the launch of March for Our Lives, a movement to call for stricter gun control measures and an end mass shootings.
The shooting occurred Feb. 14, 2018, when a former Stoneman Douglas student opened fire at the high school, killing 17 students and faculty members and injuring 17. The alleged shooter, Nikolas Cruz, was later arrested and is currently awaiting trial. In February, the public defender representing Cruz described the case as being in pretrial discovery.
Cruz's defense team has offered a guilty plea in exchange for a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors rejected that offer and may inevitably seek the death penalty, according to a February report from CNN.
Whitney and Duff's visit to San Diego is part of a national tour to discuss the movement, connect with other youth and mass shooting survivors and promote voter registration. The free, ticketed event included a resource fair beforehand followed by the discussion with Whitney and Duff and there was a book signing afterwards.
"Glimmer of Hope" was available for purchases with 100% of proceeds benefiting the March For Our Lives Action Fund.
