Matt Deitsch

Last updated
Matt Deitsch
Born
Matthew Bryan Deitsch

(1997-10-04) October 4, 1997 (age 26)
Education
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Writer
  • gun violence prevention advocate
  • political advisor
  • freelance photographer
Years active2017–present
Organization Never Again MSD
Movement March For Our Lives
Relatives Ryan Deitsch (brother)
Sam Deitsch (sister)
Website www.linkedin.com/in/mattdeitsch/

Matthew Bryan Deitsch (born October 4, 1997) is an American writer, gun violence prevention advocate and political advisor. Before entering politics, he worked in broadcast media and was a freelance photographer, film director and music producer. After the 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in which his siblings witnessed, Deitsch became chief strategist for the March For Our Lives protests and began advocating for gun violence prevention. He is the older brother of activist Ryan Deitsch.

Contents

Early life and education

Matthew Bryan Deitsch [1] was born on October 4, 1997, [2] [3] and grew up in Parkland, Florida. He is the older brother of activists Sam and Ryan Deitsch [4] and is a practicing Jew. [5] He attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School from 2012 until he graduated in 2016. [6] During his high school career, Deitsch was into television production and filmmaking. [7] After graduating from high school, he moved to the Los Angeles metropolitan area and attended Santa Monica College, [8] [9] graduating with honors in 2017 with an associate of arts degree. [1] During his career at Santa Monica College, Deitsch entered his early political career and organized for environmental causes, including beach cleanup, with his biology class. [7] In a podcast interview hosted by CommonAlly, Deitsch credited taking a black feminism class with helping him become more educated about current affairs and politics in turn helping him participate in community organizing. [7] After attending community college, he transferred to California State University, Northridge. [10] Deitsch dropped out of Cal State Northridge after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. [11] He graduated from The New School in 2020 with a bachelor's degree. [12]

Broadcasting, film, photography and music career

According to his LinkedIn profile, Deitsch started his early career as a freelance music producer as early as 2011, producing instrumental music for R&B and hip-hop artists with Audacity. [13] During his high school career, he worked in filmmaking and was an assistant director for a 2016 film titled B.F.F. produced by RinkyDink Productions in the West Palm Beach, Florida area. [14] Deitsch also co-created promotional videos for the city government of Parkland, Florida, throughout high school [15] and was an intern for television channel HBO in New York City after graduating. After moving to the Los Angeles metropolitan area to attend college, he became a photographer for VICE Media and was a brand ambassador for Toms Shoes. [13]

Gun violence prevention advocacy and politics

While visiting his family on a college break in Parkland, Deitsch's sister Sam Deitsch and brother Ryan were attending Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, his alma mater; a freshman and senior, respectively. His siblings were at the school during the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018 while his brother filmed from inside the school. [16] Deitsch was buying cake for his sister because it was her birthday that day when he received a call from his mother saying there was an incident at the school. [17] After the shooting, Deitsch, along with his siblings, X Gonzalez and David Hogg, brainstormed to come with a grassroots platform which eventually became March For Our Lives and Never Again MSD, the former in which he became director of strategy and ran day-to-day operations with Jaclyn Corin. [18]

Since then, Deitsch has dedicated his time to work on gun control advocacy in his own right and on behalf of Never Again MSD. In November 2018, he travelled to Cape Town, South Africa, to accept the International Children's Peace Prize on behalf of March For Our Lives, [19] along with his brother, Gonzalez, Hogg and Corin. [20] He appeared on Good Morning America and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah to talk about gun violence [21] [22] and also co-authored a book with March For Our Lives titled Glimmer of Hope: How Tragedy Sparked a Movement in October 2018. [23] Deitsch appeared in the 2020 documentary film Parkland Rising about the shooting and subsequent student activism. [24]

In 2020, Deitsch joined Bernie Sanders's campaign for president of the United States as a gun violence prevention advisor and helped develop a gun violence prevention platform for the campaign. [25] In an announcement, he commented: "America's gun violence epidemic is a public health crisis that requires dedicated organizing. The Military Industrial Complex has tainted our health across America and abroad, I am proud of Senator Sanders' growth and commitment to ending gun violence, and we won't win this fight for all of our safety unless we organize at a historic level. And that's what we are setting out to do with this effort." [25]

Bibliography

Filmography

YearTitleRoleRef
2016B.F.F.Assistant director [26]
2018HingeProduction assistant [27]
2018Fahrenheit 11/9Self; editing consultant
2018 The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Self; guest appearance with X González [28]
2018 Good Morning America Self; guest appearance with X González and Delaney Tarr [29]
2020Parkland RisingSelf [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School</span> Public high school in Parkland, Florida, United States

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is a public high school in Parkland, Florida, United States. It was established in 1990 and is part of the Broward County Public Schools district. It is named after the writer Marjory Stoneman Douglas and is the only public high school in Parkland, serving almost all of the limits of that city as well as a section of Coral Springs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfonso Calderon (activist)</span> Spanish-American activist against gun violence

Alfonso Calderón Atienzar is a Spanish-American student activist against gun violence. He is a survivor of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting and a founding member of the Never Again MSD movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parkland high school shooting</span> 2018 mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, US

On February 14, 2018, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire on students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the Miami suburban town of Parkland, Florida, United States, killing 17 people and injuring 17 others. Cruz, a former student at the school, fled the scene on foot by blending in with other students and was arrested without incident approximately one hour and twenty minutes later in nearby Coral Springs. Police and prosecutors investigated "a pattern of disciplinary issues and unnerving behavior".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">X González</span> American activist and gun control advocate

X González is an American activist and advocate for gun control. In 2018, they survived the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history, and, in response, co-founded the gun-control advocacy group Never Again MSD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Never Again MSD</span> American activist organization

Never Again MSD is an American student-led political action committee for gun control that advocates for tighter regulations to prevent gun violence. The organization, also known by the Twitter hashtags #NeverAgain, and #EnoughIsEnough, was formed by a group of twenty students attending Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (MSD) at the time of the deadly shooting in 2018, in which seventeen students and staff members were killed by the alleged gunman, Nikolas Cruz, who was a 19-year-old former student of the school and was armed with an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle. The organization started on social media as a movement "for survivors of the Stoneman Douglas Shooting, by survivors of the Stoneman Douglas Shooting" using the hashtag #NeverAgain. A main goal of the group was to influence that year's United States mid-term elections, and they embarked on a multi-city bus tour to encourage young people to register to vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">March for Our Lives</span> 2018 and 2022 student-led demonstration in Washington, DC

March for Our Lives (MFOL) is a student-led organization which leads demonstrations in support of gun control legislation. It took place in Washington, D.C., on March 24, 2018, with over 880 sibling events throughout the United States and around the world, and was planned by Never Again MSD in collaboration with the nonprofit organization Everytown for Gun Safety. The event followed the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting a month earlier, which was described by several media outlets as a possible tipping point for gun control legislation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cameron Kasky</span> American activist against gun violence (born 2000)

Cameron Marley Kasky is an American activist and advocate against gun violence who co-founded the student-led gun violence prevention advocacy group Never Again MSD. He is notable for helping to organize the March for Our Lives nationwide student protest in March 2018. Kasky is a survivor of the February 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Kasky was included in Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People of 2018".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 United States gun violence protests</span>

In 2018, protests against gun violence in the United States increased after a series of mass shootings, most notably at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14 that year. An organized protest in the form of a national school walkout occurred on March 14. March for Our Lives was held on March 24. Another major demonstration occurred April 20, 2018.

Alexander Blake Wind is an American student activist against gun violence. A survivor of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting and a founding member of the Never Again MSD movement, he is a critic of politicians who are supported by the National Rifle Association of America. Wind was one of five Stoneman Douglas students featured on the cover of Time magazine in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Hogg</span> American gun control activist (born 2000)

David Miles Hogg is an American gun control activist. He rose to prominence during the 2018 United States gun violence protests as a student survivor of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, helping lead several high-profile protests, marches, and boycotts, including the boycott of The Ingraham Angle. He has also been a target and scapegoat of several conspiracy theories.

Sarah Chadwick is an American activist against gun violence and one of the leaders of the Never Again MSD activist movement.

Jaclyn Corin is an American activist against gun violence. She survived the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018. She is one of the co-founders of March for Our Lives and the organizer of a student protest to Tallahassee, Florida. She has also been a vocal critic of politicians funded by the National Rifle Association.

Lauren Hogg is an American author and activist against gun violence. She survived the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018 and after became a co-founder of March for Our Lives and advocates against gun violence. She is the younger sister of gun control activist and former Marjory Stoneman Douglas student David Hogg. She graduated from MSD High School in 2021, three years after David.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Kashuv</span> American conservative activist

Kyle Kashuv is an American conservative activist. He survived the 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting and subsequently advocated for gun rights, notably in opposition to his fellow survivors' March for Our Lives movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Pollack</span> American author, activist and entrepreneur

Andrew Scott Pollack is an American author, school safety activist, and entrepreneur whose daughter Meadow was one of the 17 murdered victims in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Deitsch</span> American activist against gun violence

Ryan Deitsch is an American student activist against gun violence, and a survivor of the Parkland massacre. He is a founding member of the Never Again MSD movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunter Pollack</span> American school safety activist and political advisor

Hunter Pollack is an American school safety activist and political advisor whose younger sister, Meadow, was murdered in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018. He is the son of Shara Kaplan and Andrew Pollack, and is a part of the nonprofit organization Americans for Children's Lives and School Safety. Hunter is Jewish.

Samantha Deitsch is an American author and gun control activist who survived the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018.

<i>Us Kids</i> 2020 film

Us Kids is a 2020 American documentary film directed by Kim A. Snyder, following members of the March for Our Lives movement after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aalayah Eastmond</span> American activist

Aalayah Eastmond is an American activist and advocate for gun violence prevention, social justice, and racial equality. After surviving the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, Eastmond began her activism during the 2018 United States gun violence protests. She has testified multiple times to the U.S. Congress. Eastmond is an executive council member of Team Enough, a youth-led gun violence prevention organization which is part of the Brady Campaign. Eastmond co-founded Concerned Citizens of DC in the wake of the murder of George Floyd to organize protests supporting social justice issues in Washington, D.C. She supports Black Lives Matter and protests against police brutality.

References

  1. 1 2 "87th Annual Commencement" (PDF). Santa Monica College. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  2. ↑ @MattxRed (October 4, 2018). "Today on my birthday I want everyone to know the importance of bringing positivity and creativity into every single day.
    We can always work to help the most vulnerable people. For those we've lost, we can find a better world. The universe is on the side of justice"     (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ↑ "Leading the Future: The Matt Deitsch Interview". Commonally.com. The CommonAlly Chronicles. Archived from the original (podcast) on 14 May 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  4. ↑ "Parkland shooting stirs 3 siblings to lives of activism". AP NEWS. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  5. ↑ @MattxRed (September 30, 2019). "I've always used this time of year (the high holy days) to educate people on my Jewish values.
    What Tikun Olam can mean for all of us.
    What Tzedakah can mean for us in practice.
    Most people have misconceptions about Judaism and these values mean a lot to me.
    Shana Tova!"     (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. ↑ Cortright, David, ed. (2020). Truth seekers: Voices of Peace and Nonviolence from Gandhi to Pope Francis. Orbis Books. ISBN   9781608338214.
  7. 1 2 3 "Youth Activism & Inclusive Ideals: The Matt Deitsch Interview" (video). CommonAlly. YouTube. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  8. ↑ "Going, Going, Gone - Volume 1, No 5 - May 2016" (PowerPoint). Issuu. The Eagle Eye (Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School). 17 May 2016. p. 6. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  9. ↑ @MattxRed (March 15, 2019). "I attended and graduated Santa Monica College and now I help lead the modern gun violence prevention movement through an organization called "March For Our Lives."" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ↑ "INSIDE THE SECRET MEME LAB DESIGNED TO PROPEL #NEVERAGAIN BEYOND THE MARCH". California State University, Northridge. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  11. ↑ "Parkland survivors vote for 1st time, months after massacre". PBS NewsHour. 3 November 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  12. ↑ "Gun Reform in Black & White: Student Activism and #NeverAgain". newschool.edu. The New School. Retrieved 28 May 2020.[ permanent dead link ]
  13. 1 2 "Matt Deitsch – Experience" (LinkedIn profile). linkedin.com. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  14. ↑ "B.F.F. – Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  15. ↑ "City of Parkland" (video). YouTube. City of Parkland. 17 March 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  16. ↑ Dolsten, Josefin (7 March 2018). "This Jewish Parkland survivor stayed alive by hiding in a closet. Now he advocates for gun reform". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  17. ↑ Francis, Lizzy (15 October 2018). "Matt Deitsch Is Ready to Talk About the NRA". Fatherly. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  18. ↑ Kennedy, Kelli. "Parkland siblings Sam, Matt and Ryan Deitsch turned to a life of activism after the shooting". SunSentinel. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  19. ↑ Patten, Linda (2019). No One Stood Up When I Entered the Room: One Woman's Journey from Command to True Leadership. Gatekeeper Press. ISBN   978-1-64237-830-6.
  20. ↑ "Desmond Tutu awards peace prize to Parkland shooting survivors". NBC News. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  21. ↑ Conner, Jerusha O. (2020). The New Student Activists: The Rise of Neoactivism on College Campuses. JHU Press. p. 1. ISBN   978-1-4214-3668-5.
  22. ↑ "Emma Gonzalez & Matt Deitsch Discuss the Importance of Voting" (video). YouTube. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  23. ↑ Deitsch, Matt; Chadwick, Sarah; Corin, Jaclyn; Deitsch, Ryan; Deitsch, Sam; González, Emma; Hogg, David; Hogg, Lauren; Wind, Alex (2018). Glimmer of Hope: How Tragedy Sparked a Movement. Penguin. p. 203. ISBN   978-1-9848-3640-3.
  24. ↑ "'Parkland Rising' Doc Set for Virtual Premiere With Assist From Executive Producer Katie Couric". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  25. 1 2 "March For Our Lives Co-Founder, Matt Deitsch, Joins Sanders Campaign". NH LABOR NEWS. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  26. ↑ "B.F.F. (2016) - IMDb". IMDb .
  27. ↑ "Hinge (2018) - IMDb". IMDb .
  28. ↑ "Emma Gonzalez & Matt Deitsch Discuss the Importance of Voting". The Daily Show. YouTube. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  29. ↑ "David Hogg, Parkland mass shooting survivor and student activist, to attend Harvard University". ABC News. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  30. ↑ Liotta, Jarret (7 November 2019). "Parkland parents, survivors visit CT for documentary screening". StamfordAdvocate. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.