“So we are speaking up for those who don’t have anyone listening to them, for those who can’t talk about it just yet, and for those who will never speak again. We are grieving, we are furious, and we are using our words fiercely and desperately because that the only thing standing between us and this happening again.”

Emma Gonzalez survived the February 14, 2017 mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School. Tired of politicians and the general public pledging “thoughts and prayers” in the aftermath of mass shootings, the rise of mass shootings in the United States, and wanting real change, she and fellow students organized March for Our Lives. Emma also co-founded the group Never Again MSD, a gun-control advocacy group. Along with her fellow students, Emma has called on youth from across America to call on their government to address mass shootings and gun control. Emma and her peers demonstrate the power of standing up, speaking out and pushing back to establish real, positive, lasting change.