On Saturday, massive crowds around the country came together to support the March For Our Lives in hopes of changing gun laws. One of the founders and most vocal activists of the movement is Emma Gonzalez, who took the podium and gave a tearful stirring and emotional speech causing people in the crowd to break down. Gonzalez is a student survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in Parkland Florida that killed 17 high school students and faculty this past Valentines Day. Here is the captioned video of her speech via Now This.
For the hearing-impaired, here is a video transcript.
“Six minutes and about 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.
Everyone who was there understands. Everyone who has been touched by the cold grip of gun violence understands.
For us, long, tearful chaotic hours in the scorching afternoon sun were spent not knowing. No one understood the extent of what happened. No one could believe that there were bodies in that building waiting to be identified for over a day.
No one knew that the people who were missing had stopped breathing long before any of us had even known that a code red had been called.
No one could comprehend the devastating aftermath or how far this would reach or where this would go. For those who still can’t comprehend because they refuse to, I’ll tell you where it went—right into the ground, six feet deep.
Six minutes and 20-seconds with an AR-15 and
my friend Carmen would never complain to me about piano practice.
Aaron Feis would never call Kyra “Miss Sunshine.”
Alex Schachter would never walk into school with his brother Ryan.
Scott Beigel would never joke around with Cameron at camp.
Helena Ramsey would never hang out after school with Max.
Gena Montalto would never wave to her friend Liam at lunch.
Joaquin Oliver would never play basketball with Sam or Dylan.
Alaina Petty would never.
Cara Loughran would never.
Chris Hixon would never.
Luke Hoyer would never.
Martin Duque Anguiano would never.
Peter Wang would never.
Alyssa Alhadeff would never.
Jamie Guttenberg would never.
Meadow Pollack would never…”
Then Emma stops speaking and there is a long pause of silence. “No more!” is shouted out, then silence again. Minutes go by and the crowd begins to chant, “Never again.” The chant grows louder and louder— then softer and softer until one voice is left shouting, “Never again.” It’s eery and beautiful. Then, there is silence once again. The scenes of faces in the crowd, captured by cameras, are stunning and unnerving.
Emma Gonzales speaks again.
“Since the time I came out here, it has been six minutes and 20 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.”
Cheers to this young warrior and to all the students who are marching today, as well as all those who are there to support them and the common sense gun reform they are marching for. We can end gun violence.