Emma Gonzalez
Emma Gonzalez is a student and survivor of the devastating Parkland shooting in Florida, spoke at the March for Our Lives. But more stunning than her speech, was her silence. For 6 minutes and 20 seconds she stood in silence on the stage. These several silent minutes were to represent the length of the shooting spree in her school. "In a little over 6 minutes," she said, "17 of our friends were taken from us, 15 were injured and everyone in the Douglas community was forever altered". She goes on to say how very few are able to understand the extent of the situation, and of the monstrosity of gun violence. She stood silent for several minutes, her speech and silence altogether totaling about 6 and a half minutes. This represents the time it took for 17 people to be killed. Her most hard hitting words before she left the stage were, "fight for your lives before it's someone else's job".
The fact that these kids who are my age are pulling such a huge movement forward is amazing. This is similar to the youth, free speech, and civil rights movements of the 1950s and '60s. Emma Gonzalez is a powerful speaker, able to touch any who listen. It's easy to compare her to MLK or Rosa Parks, as both were prominent in the civil rights movement. MLK was a powerful and captivating speaker, just as Emma is. Both are the faces of massive movements shaping America going into the future.
Im glad that people of our generation are coming forward and fighting for what they believe is right.
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