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Culture > News

March For Our Lives Highlight: Yolanda Renee King

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Clark chapter.

The student-led demonstration March For Our Lives on March 24th found themselves a powerful ally in Washington DC: Martin Luther King Jr’s adorable granddaughter.

Nine-year-old Yolanda spoke out against gun violence in a short yet powerful speech.

After introducing herself to a cheering crowd, she said, “My grandfather had a dream that his four little children will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream that enough is enough, and that this should be a gun-free world, period.”

She then led the crowd in this call and response chant: “Spread the word. Have you heard? All across the nation. We … are going to be. A great generation.” Little Yolanda asked the huge crowd to repeat it multiple times, so that “the whole world” could hear them. Yolanda has a small, but powerful voice, and she’s ready to use it to continue her grandfather’s legacy. Watch her full appearance here.

 

While its headquarters were in DC, March For Our Lives had around 800 sibling events held throughout the United States and around the world, advocating for a ban on the sale of high-capacity magazines in the US, universal background checks on all gun sales, raising the federal age of gun ownership/possession to the age of 21, among other things.

Incredibly, turnout was estimated to be between 1.2 to 2 million people in the United States, making it one of the largest protests in American history. And it was all student run. Yolanda has a dream for a better world, and so do we.

Julia is a recent graduate of Clark University who loves reading, writing, and entertainment in any form. You can usually find her obsessing over a new show or movie. She shamelessly loves pop music and pop culture in general and her dog Izzie.
Monica Sager is a freelance writer from Clark University, where she is pursuing a double major in psychology and self-designed journalism with a minor in English. She wants to become an investigative journalist to combat and highlight humanitarian issues. Monica has previously been published in The Pottstown Mercury, The Week UK, Worcester Telegram and Gazette and even The Boston Globe. Read more of Monica’s previous work on her Twitter @MonicaSager3.