March for Our Lives: Top moments that made up a movement
(CNN)They were defiant, outraged and determined. And they had a resounding message for lawmakers in Washington: Enough gun violence.
Thousands of students, teachers and supporters gathered in the nation's capital Saturday for the March for Our Lives rally, organized by survivors of a shooting that left 17 people dead at a Florida high school.
They carried signs, chanted and demanded action against gun violence -- their words echoing through streets packed with protesters. They implored people to register to vote, and pleaded with the lawmakers to take care of children.
The event in Washington was one of more than 800 planned in the United States and other major cities worldwide.
Here are the top moments from the marches:
They checked their privilege
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David Hogg: The people in power are shaking
Parkland activists said they know their predominantly white faces help them get more attention.
"My school is about 25% black, but the way we're covered doesn't reflect that," Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student David Hogg said the night before.
Several of the young speakers used their time to share the stage with people of color Saturday to remind people that gun violence affects all races.
"We recognize that Parkland received more attention because of its affluence," Jaclyn Corin, a survivor of the Parkland shooting, said in her speech. "But we share this stage today and forever with those communities who have always stared down the barrel of a gun."
MLK's granddaughter has a dream
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MLK Jr.'s granddaughter surprises rally crowd
Not far from where her legendary grandfather told the world he dreamed his children would be judged by the content of their character and not skin color, 9-year-old Yolanda Renee King told the DC crowd she dreams of "a gun-free world, period."
One student said he was heartened to know Martin Luther King Jr. marched the same streets, calling for cultural change.
She threw up and gave a speech
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Parkland survivor vomits during gun speech
Sometimes being in front of thousands of people can be overwhelming. Samantha Fuentes, who took a bullet to the thigh and whose face was ripped by shrapnel during the Parkland shooting, had to stop during an impassioned speech to vomit.
"I just threw up on international television, and it feels great!" she said, bouncing back up.
She urged others to join them in the fight to restrict guns to the "hands of the safe and reasonable."
They had a $1.05 price tag
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These students are wearing price tags
The price tag said $1.05. Each student from Marjory Stoneman Douglas wore one Saturday to point out how much money they say Sen. Marco Rubio got from the National Rifle Association -- divided by each student in Florida.
"So, this is how much we're worth to the ... government. It's our price tag," Stoneman Douglas freshman Lauren Hogg said.
Emma Gonzalez spoke without words
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Why Emma Gonzalez stood on stage silent
Parkland survivor Emma Gonzalez has become known for firing up crowds with her words. She made her point Saturday with just a few -- and a long stretch of silence during her six-plus minutes on stage.
Gonzalez began her speech by calling the names of each of the victims and things they would never do again.
Then, she stopped speaking. Tears flowed as she stood silent. The crowd broke through with random chants. But mostly, silence. Then a timer went off.
"Since the time that I came out here," she said, "it has been 6 minutes and 20 seconds" -- the amount of time, she explained, that it took for the gunman to kill 17 people at her school.
Never again is for black girls, too
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11-year-old: Never again for black girls too
Naomi Wadler took the stage with one message: Black females -- who are killed in disproportionate numbers -- have been left out of the gun violence conversation. "For far too long, these names ... have been just numbers," she said. "I'm here to say 'never again' for those girls, too."
The 11-year-old led a walkout at her elementary school on March 14 as part of the national effort to bring attention to gun violence in American schools.
"My friends and I might still be 11 and we might still be in elementary school, but we know," she said. "We know life isn't equal for everyone and we know what is right and wrong."
'Happy Birthday' to shooting victim
Nicholas Dworet was a senior preparing to go to college in Indianapolis when he was gunned down. Parkland students would have been helping him celebrate his 18th birthday Saturday.
Instead, the crowd sang an emotional version of "Happy Birthday."
They marched for various reasons
For many, the march was personal. Others came to show support for today's teens.
One said she was worried for her sister. Another joined to show her generation will not be silenced. A man who came from Colorado said he leaned right on politics, but on guns, something needs to be done.
And there were signs. Lots of signs. Lots of creative and often funny signs. For instance. one said: "I'm joining whatever political party those kids in Florida just started."
News Courtesy: www.cnn.com
