Ahead of this year's march, get to know the people who will be taking the stage and standing behind the podium. From pastors to community activists, we are excited to announce our 2019 line-up.
Sydney Clinton
Sydney was the founder of the Charleston March For Our Lives. She is 17-years-old and a junior at Fort Dorchester High School in North Charleston. She hopes to continue pursuing her passion of tackling societal problems as she finishes her high school career and transitions into college.
She currently serves
as the Director of Operations for LSPA.
Jacob Gamble
Jacob is a freshman in the Honors College at the University of South Carolina studying journalism. He co-founded LSPA last year after the March For Our Lives was held in Charleston and took on the role of chief strategist. He does a lot of the behind-the-scenes work for the organization and has been instrumental in planning events, especially the town hall held last July with the students from Parkland. He also leads our lobbying efforts at the state house and monitors any and all gun reform legislation at the state and national level.
He currently works as a legislative page in the South Carolina House of Representatives and is the Communications Director for State Representative JA Moore.
Melissa Watson
Melissa W. Watson is a woman that wears many hats. She is a mom of two children. In her professional career, she is a national board-certified government teacher and licensed real estate agent. She holds an undergraduate degree from the College of Charleston, a graduate degree from the Citadel, and is a doctoral candidate at the University of Phoenix. In 2002, she was chosen for the Rookie Teacher of the Year Award at Baptist Hill High School.
When she is not working, Melissa spends much of her time volunteering in Democratic politics. She is currently the chair of Berkeley County Democratic Party and the state party secretary. She has been active in Democratic politics since 2008 where she served as a grassroots volunteer during the South Carolina Primary. She was elected 2nd Vice Chair of the state party where she served for 6 years. She was also a former member of the Democratic National Committee for 2 years. In 2014, she became an active and influential member of Ready for Hillary, an organization that was started to encourage Hillary Clinton to run a second time for president. Watson was also the SCDP Education Caucus Co-Chair for three years.
Melissa enjoys working with young people. It is her greatest passion.
Rev. Eric Manning
Born and raised in Norristown, PA, Rev. Manning has a Bachelor’s of Arts in History from Excelsior College, a Master of Divinity Degree from Erskine Theological Seminary, and pursuing a Doctor of Ministry from Erskine Theological Seminary. He has also served in the United States Army, in Military Intelligence, and was honorably discharged in August 1994.
In June of 2016, Rev. Manning was assigned to “Mother” Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC as the Senior Pastor where 9 persons were shot to death on June 17, 2015. In his capacity, Rev. Manning was responsible for leading the congregation on a journey of healing and recovery. He has worked with the National Crime Victim Research & Treatment Center of MUSC to ensure that comprehensive services were available to the survivors, families, and the community at-large. This includes the establishment of the Mother Emanuel Empowerment Center (MEEC) which focuses on developing resilience and becoming stronger through the integration of faith, hope, healing and health with the provision of spiritual and therapeutic services to the impacted communities.
Lauren Haselden
Lauren was one of the first people to join the team that organized the March For Our Lives in 2018. She's played a huge role in organizing events and running the Facebook and Instagram pages. Lauren graduated from Academic Magnet High School in May of 2018 and has been working tirelessly in recent months. She currently serves as Director of Communications at LSPA.
Marcus Amaker
Marcus Amaker is a karaoke singer, a Kate Bush fan and a donut eater. He is an award-winning graphic designer for a national music magazine, and works with nonprofits to create websites, posters and videos. In 2010, he founded Charleston Scene for the Post and Courier. In 2017, he created the Free Verse poetry festival. As a musician, he's released 26 electronic albums and two records with Grammy-nominated producer Quentin Baxter. Marcus was named Charleston's first Poet Laureate in 2016, and has published 7 books of poetry. He is a mentor for hundreds of local students.
Ethan Sonneborn
Ethan Sonneborn, of Bristol VT, is a ninth grader at Mt Abraham Union High School. At age 14, he became the youngest person ever to run for statewide office in the United States last year when he ran for governor, making national headlines. Throughout his campaign he advocated for youth engagement and common-sense gun reform.
He has served as a legislative page in the Vermont State House and has been a lifelong activist and advocate.
Tisa Whack
Tisa Whack and Chandra Bryant founded We Are Their Voices after their lives were turned upside down when they were notified that their son’s, their only children, were murdered due to senseless acts of gun violence.
These mother’s lives intertwined when they both found themselves in the club no parent ever wants to be a part of, the parent of a murdered child. Together they became determined to be the voices for their sons and others to bring awareness to gun violence and support to other parents that face the same situation.
Tisa Whack is president and co-founder of We Are Their Voices, a non-profit organization established in 2016 that focuses on the victims and survivors of gun violence. She is also a co-founder of Taking Back Our Village, a community organization made up of volunteers dedicated to improving the overall well-being of our local community. This organization was founded in 2014.
Phaizon Myers
Phaizon is a freshman at North Carolina A&T University studying civil engineering and a graduate of Fort Dorchester High School in North Charleston. He has been an influential youth voice in the community and his determination to achieve success has made him a role model. He is also an eagle scout and appeared on an ABC News 4 panel with LSPA's own Jacob Gamble last year talking gun violence prevention following the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Shakem Akhet
Johnathan Thrower, otherwise known as Shakem Akhet, is a dedicated father of four, community advocate and a servant of the community. A major turning point in his life came when he became a victim of gun violence when someone attempted to rob him. He was shot 6 times and left for dead. However, God was not ready for him to leave and prepared him for this journey to speak out against gun violence and the negative impact it has on our communities. His desire is to teach youth how to settle disputes without putting themselves at risk of death or jail.
Towner Magill
Towner Magill is a parent, the spouse of an educator, and co-founder of The Safe Schools Project. After last year’s tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Towner decided that he had enough of being on the sidelines and decided to take action and work towards a safer community with a reduced threat of gun violence. The Safe Schools Project was founded out of last year’s March for Our Lives when he and Patrick Martin, a teacher at Wando, met and decided to collaboratively form a group that advocates for teachers in the conversation surrounding school safety. Towner is heavily involved with Arm in Arm, a group dedicated to responsible gun ownership in South Carolina, and also a board member of Be a Mentor, a non-profit connecting mentors with youth on the verge of success in the Charleston area.
Pam Gonzalez
Along with being a board member, Pam is also LSPA's head photographer. Before taking on political activism, she had been volunteering with multiple charitable organizations such as AFSP, St. Jude’s, and St. Baldrick’s, to name a few. She is committed to making her community a safer place for everyone. She recently graduated from Wando High School and is looking forward to majoring in biochemistry and minoring in
photography in college.