30 Under 30

Honoring the lives behind the statistics.

Every year, the world celebrates “30 Under 30” lists — celebrating youth success, wealth, and influence. But in a nation where gun violence is now the leading cause of death for young people, far too many never get the chance to reach thirty at all.

March For Our Lives worked with Change the Ref to create 30 Under 30 to honor them — thirty young lives lost to gun violence, remembered not as victims, but as vibrant individuals whose stories deserve to be seen and felt.

This campaign reclaims a cultural tradition that celebrates potential and reframes it through truth and loss. Each portrait, story, and name is a reminder of what we’ve lost, and a call to build a country where every young person makes it past 30.

How It Works.

Thirty stories. One generation’s truth.
We collaborate with families, survivors, and communities across the country to share the stories of thirty young people under 30 whose lives were taken by gun violence — across different states, races, and experiences.

Photography and storytelling.
Each person’s portrait and story is paired with a short narrative written in collaboration with loved ones, capturing who they were, what they dreamed of, and what was stolen from them.

Public art and digital reach.
The campaign comes to life through public installations, online galleries, and social storytelling that allow millions to see the humanity behind the headlines — a youth-led act of remembrance, empathy, and defiance.

Why It Matters.

Gun violence steals futures, but it also steals memory. Each life lost fades quickly from the news cycle, replaced by the next tragedy. 30 Under 30 fights that erasure. It creates a space for remembrance and reckoning, where names become stories and numbers become faces.

In honoring thirty lives, we remind the country that every life lost to gun violence is one too many, and that preventing the next loss starts with truly seeing the last one.