Thousands marched out of schools nationwide to honor the victims killed in Parkland and to say “Enough” to gun violence.
Thousands walked out of their classrooms to honor the memory of the students who were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and to protest the persistence of gun violence in America.
The nation-wide walkout occurred exactly a month after the tragic shooting in Parkland and included students from New York City, Washington, Columbine, Newtown, and many other cities across the country.
To honor the 17 Marjory Stoneman Douglas students and staff that were murdered, the walkout lasted 17 minutes, though many students continued to protest past the allotted time. Here are some of the most powerful moments from yesterday’s walkout.
Hundreds from Granada Hills Charter High School in California gathered on the football field to spell out “Enough.”
WATCH: California students spell out #Enough during #NationalWalkoutDay protest against gun violence https://t.co/CMrz18EDhj pic.twitter.com/T661LhBxz2
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 14, 2018
Students from Newtown, where one of the deadliest school shootings ever, occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, made their voices heard.
Here’s some raw footage from this morning’s walkout at Newtown High School. 5 years have gone by and we’re still fighting for our lives. Please share this with as many people as you can to let our voices be heard #NationalWalkoutDay#NeverAgain #NewtownWalkout pic.twitter.com/Tx3S3tgcRf
— Ashlyn DeLoughy (@ashlyn_deloughy) March 14, 2018
In West Haven, Connecticut, students put 17 empty desks in front of their school to honor the Parkland victims.
17 empty desks outside of Notre Dame High School in West Haven, CT #nationalwalkoutdaypic.twitter.com/FmsWPWDNKY
— Dan Milano 🤨 (@DanMilanoHere) March 14, 2018
Students from Booker T. Washington High in Atlanta chose to take a knee in protest.
Students at Booker T Washington High School in Atlanta talking a knee as part of the #NationalWalkoutDay protests. pic.twitter.com/bZpU8kQNjl
— Jamiles Lartey (@JamilesLartey) March 14, 2018
And it was not only high school students who protested. Elementary school students walked out as well, including these students from Virginia who laid silently on the ground as a reminder of the countless lives that have been taken with guns.
It is freezing cold and these 60+ elementary school protesters are lying completely still, and no one is making a sound, just the posters flapping a little over their bodies. Alexandria, Virginia. pic.twitter.com/6OI0GHbdQN
— Lois Beckett (@loisbeckett) March 14, 2018
In New York, elementary school students even sang songs like “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” during the walkout.
These New York City elementary school students sang “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” during their walkout protest today, one month after the school shooting massacre in Parkland, Florida https://t.co/5HNXSSoBAupic.twitter.com/fgnAfFnYrU
— CNN (@CNN) March 14, 2018
A second grade student from San Jose, California, was the only student who walked out of his class. But he did end up joining high schoolers who were protesting at the same time.
Leonardo Aguilar was the only one to walk out of his second grade classroom so he joined the highschoolers at Lincoln High in San Jose. @CBSSF #walkoutpic.twitter.com/v9SQAAEn4f
— Len Ramirez (@lenramirez) March 14, 2018
Hundreds also gathered outside the White House to let the President know they demand a change.
RIGHT NOW: Hundreds of students protest gun violence in front of the White House, as part of nationwide walkout. pic.twitter.com/vhKGxcjiq8
— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) March 14, 2018
Threats of punishment could not deter students in Pennsylvania, as over 200 students walked out of their high school north of Philadelphia despite the administration warning that any student who leaves would land in detention.
Pennridge High School in Pennsylvania is issuing detentions to the 230 kids who participated in the National Walkout. The students self-organized speeches and 17 minutes of silence. pic.twitter.com/TNDF4jFJvi
— Anna Sophie Tinneny (@annatinn) March 14, 2018
A student from North Carolina was the only person to participate in the walkout at his school but a video of his lone exodus went viral, after it received more than four million views.
Wow I’m literally the only one #NationalSchoolWalkoutpic.twitter.com/2F95qY2vTI
— Justin Blackman (@JustinIBlackman) March 14, 2018