On a day where activists and celebrities gathered to use their influence to spark over 800 protests against gun violence throughout the globe, one unfamiliar face with a very familiar name effortlessly became a very bright beacon of hope for those who are working toward reducing gun violence, specifically in the United States.
It was 9-year old Yolanda Renee King, the granddaughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who spoke before the crowd of thousands in the Washington D.C. iteration of the March For Our Lives Rally to deliver on a brief speech.
“My grandfather had a dream that his four little children would not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character,” she said, referencing Dr. King’s iconic 1963 “I Have A Dream” speech, “I have a dream that enough is enough and that this should be a gun free world. Period.”
She would soon lead the crowd into a chant, choosing call-and-response to be the method in which she would challenge the masses who were gathered.
"Spread the word, have you heard, all across the nation, we are going to be a great generation” she would have the crowd repeat the chant multiple times before exiting.
The March For Our Lives protest was sparked in the wake of the aftermath of the Valentine’s Day school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The massacre, carried out by a former student, claimed 17 total lives and added yet another tragic catalyst to the ongoing debate of gun control in the United States.