On Saturday, May 19th, “Finding Common Ground: a Symposium on American Culture, Gun Violence, and the Second Amendment” will be held at the Gloucester Meetinghouse, from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM.

The symposium is headlined by keynote speaker Colin Woodard, the author of “American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.” Other speakers include Kevin Burke, the former Essex County district attorney, Mark Nestor, a Vietnam veteran, John Rosenthal from the Boston-based organization “Stop Handgun Violence”, members of the Cape Ann Clergy, and GHS students Alexander Oaks and Maria Kotob.

Oaks and Kotob are speaking on the growing youth movement against gun violence after presenting similar speeches at the Gloucester Democratic City Committee brunch last month.

The symposium comes on the heels of a developing movement across the country promoting gun control legislation, a movement headlined and defined by the leadership of young people, especially those who survived the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Broward County, Florida. The shooting, having claimed a total of seventeen lives, is one of the 10 deadliest school shootings in United States history.

The event will be split into four segments, with refreshments available. The Gloucester Meetinghouse is located at the corner of Church and Middle streets, and admission is free.