Student activist Emma Gonzalez led a powerful moment of silence at the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, that lasted for several minutes.
Gonzalez, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, stayed on stage for 6 minutes and 20 seconds, the duration of the Parkland shooting.
“Six minutes and about 20 seconds. In a little over six minutes, 17 of our friends were taken from us,” she began. “No one knew that the people who are missing had stopped breathing long before any of us had even known that a code red had been called.”
She then listed off the names of the victims, and then stood in silence for several minutes as tears streamed down her cheeks.
The crowd chanted “Never again” but mostly stayed silent during the several minutes of silence.
“Since the time I came out here, it has been 6 minutes and 20 seconds,” Gonzalez said, ending the moment of silence. “The shooter has ceased shooting and will soon abandon the rifle, blend in with the students as they escape, and walk free for an hour before arrest. Fight for your lives before it is someone else’s job.”
Emma Gonzalez stayed on stage at the D.C. #MarchForOurLives rally for 6 minutes and 20 seconds – the duration of the Parkland shooting. https://t.co/B7yFTn23Nz pic.twitter.com/jdyYagtZCO
— ABC News (@ABC) March 24, 2018
The rally in D.C. was one of many taking place across the country and the world. Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to the nation’s capital for the demonstration, according to early estimates.
