Here's Emma Gonzalez's Gut-Wrenching March for Our Lives Speech in Full
"Fight for your life before it’s somebody else’s job."
Parkland shooting survivor Emma Gonzalez has become a powerful activist, and when she took the stage to speak at today's March for Our Lives in D.C., the crowd was moved by her stunning speech, which lasted 6 minutes and 23 seconds, the length of the Parkland shooting.
"Six minutes and about twenty seconds. In a little over six minutes, 17 of our friends were taken from us, 15 were injured, and everyone, absolutely everyone, was forever altered," she began.
"Everyone who was there understands, everyone who has been touched by the cold grip of gun violence understands," she said.
She continued: "No one could comprehend the devastating aftermath or how far this reach or where this could 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."
She went on to list the names of her classmates and teachers who died that day.
"Six minutes and twenty seconds with an AR-15 and my friend Carmen would never complain to me about piano practice. Aaron Feis would never call Kira, '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. Gina 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."
She then stopped speaking and stared into the crowd, tears streaming down her face.
She ended the silence with, "Since the time that I came out here, it has been six minutes and twenty 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 life before it’s somebody else’s job."Emma Gonzalez Speech Transcript - Read Full March for Our Lives Speech:
