The March For Our Lives on Washington D.C. occurred this weekend, along with events in nearly 850 U.S. cites and communities. High-profile celebrities and pop stars attended. However, in the days following the powerful March For Our Lives, the strongest and most memorable voices to emerge are those of Parkland, Florida students – especially Emma Gonzalez.
Gonzalez is one of the gun violence survivors after her school was attacked by a gunman on February 14th – just over a month ago. At a gun control rally that quickly followed, Gonzalez gave a riveting speech, and has gone on to become a prominent figure in the #NEVERAGAIN movement.
Her speech at this weekend’s The March For Our Lives was incredibly powerful. If you missed it, these are the unmissable highlights.
Gonzalez took the stage for a brief six minutes and 20 seconds, opening her speech saying, “Six minutes and 20 seconds. In a little over six minutes, 17 of our friends were taken from us. 15 were injured. And everyone – absolutely, everyone – in the Douglas community was forever altered.”
Then, she took some time to describe the aftermath of the shooting, before reading a heartbreaking “would never” list. For ever student killed, she shared what they “would never” get to do again.
Afterwords, Gonzalez said nothing. Instead, she stood silently for several minutes as the crowds chanted “never again.”
When her six minutes and 20 seconds were up, Gonzalez concluded her speech saying, “Since the time that I came out here, it has been six minutes and twenty seconds. The shooter has ceased shooting and will soon abandon his rifle, blend in with the students as they escape, and walk free for an hour before arrest. Fight for your lives before it’s someone else’s job.”
You can watch her full speech here.