Kids are leading the procession but plenty of Washington dignitaries will be on hand Saturday as the March for Our Lives student-led protest march starts at Cal Anderson.

Senator Maria Cantwell and State Attorney General Bob Ferguson will be among the speakers at the march’s 10 AM start on Capitol Hill, organizers announced. They’ll be joined by student organizers including Rhiannon Rasaretnam of Maple Valley’s Tahoma High School. CHS spoke with Rasaretnam earlier about her group’s efforts as part of a nationwide day of student marches. “I feel like youth around the nation seeing that students can take the lead on this inspires them to increase their own role in their own community,” Rasaretnam said.

“It is time to keep our schools safe and adopt common sense gun reform,” Ferguson said in the announcement of his planned appearance. “Our youth are taking a leadership role to address gun violence. I’m proud to join the young voices who are Washington’s future leaders.”

March for Our Lives Seattle When: Saturday, March 24th, 10 AM. March expected to begin at 11 AM. Where: Starts at Cal Anderson before marching down pine to downtown and on to Key Arena Getting there: Officials advise marchers use Capitol Hill Station and avoid trying to park in the area Why: Student organizers are asking for “action on banning assault rifles, banning bump stocks nationally, raising the age for gun purchases from 18 to 21, ensuring school safety without use of firearms and calling on members of Congress and corporations to stop accepting support from or providing support for the NRA.”

March For Our Lives – Seattle

While attendance at Saturday’s march is unlikely to surpass the January Women’s March when tens of thousands filled Cal Anderson before marching to the Seattle Center, officials are still planning for large crowds. King County Metro and Sound Transit said they will operate extra service on Saturday and both urged marchers to consider taking public transit to the start of the march at Cal Anderson and afterwards at Seattle Center.

Forecasts call for a chilly day with scattered showers and highs only reaching the 40s.

At Seattle Center, marchers will find “opportunities for voter registration on site for new youth voters and others not previously registered” and a program including Governor Jay Inslee and musician Brandi Carlile.

Organizers have posted a guide to the day’s schedule here:

The march comes amid a surge in calls for gun control following the February mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school. Much of the push has come from students. Earlier this month, students at high schools across Capitol Hill, the Central District, and Seattle walked out of class to mark the one-month anniversary of the Florida shooting. March for Our Lives organizers say their effort is about more than stopping the next mass shooting.

“While school shootings make headlines, 46 kids are shot due to gun violence every single day in America, the majority of these, in marginalized communities,” organizers write. “March for Our Lives Seattle students recognize and stand in solidarity with organizations that are at the forefront of the issue of gun violence in communities of color.”

The group is also continuing to raise money to pay for the logistics for security and planning around the march and for a Stoneman Douglas Victims Fund. You can give here.

If you’d like some help crafting a great message for Saturday’s march, Cupcake Royale is hosting a sign-making party Thursday night.

Come make signs with the @marchforourlives_seattle leadership team TONIGHT! This fundraiser starts at 5:30 at Cupcake Royale at both Capitol Hill and Ballard locations. Join in, make a sign, and get prepared for the march on Saturday. Spread the word… https://t.co/l5okHg5xi6 pic.twitter.com/EWoFBzBVXo

— Cupcake Royale (@CupcakeRoyale) March 22, 2018

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