11-Year-Old Naomi Wadler Gives Powerful Speech at March For Our Lives: ‘Never Again’ For Black Victims Too

The March For Our Lives movement shined a bright spotlight on gun violence across America like never before during a nationwide demonstration on Saturday, as millions took to the streets to listen to the young people adding their voices to the debate over gun control.

The student survivors of the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school used their unprecedented access to national media to highlight shootings in urban communities, where minorities are disproportionately affected by gun violence. 11-year-old Naomi Wadler, a Virginia resident who organized a walkout at her school to mourn the 17 lives lost in Parkland, delivered a powerful speech representing “the African-American women who are victims of gun violence, who are simply statistics instead of vibrant, beautiful girls full of potential.”

“For far too long, these black girls and women have been just numbers,” she said in the speech, which can be seen above. “I am here to say never again for those girls too.”

Adler said her school walkout lasted 18 minutes to honor the Parkland victims, and “added a minute to honor Courtlin Arrington, an African-American girl who was the victim of gun violence in her school in Alabama after the Parkland shooting.”

Wadler’s speech was immediately hailed by audiences, as well as on social media, being tweeted by Sen. Kamala Harris (D—CA) and other famous politicians and celebrities.

[image via screengrab]

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