Thousands of high school students around the country walked out of class Friday morning for the National School Walkout aimed at preventing gun violence.
Students at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where a shooter killed 17 people on Feb. 14, joined in the walkout — including David Hogg, one of the founders of the #NeverAgain movement.
Hogg tweeted a video of students sitting on the ground in the school courtyard during the protest.
#NationalSchoolWalkout at Stoneman Douglas HS https://t.co/FmaCwFKte2
Another leader in the #NeverAgain movement, Emma González, was not at Stoneman Douglas HS today for the walkout, but tweeted her support of the protest.
I walked out so far I ended up in NY !❤️ Remembering Columbine today in our moments of silence, in servicing our communities, and in loving each other. Orange is the color for gun violence survivors, and we wear it today in solidarity of one another. https://t.co/9SFSACvMlb
Students at Greenwich High School in Greenwich, Connecticut, posted a video on Snapchat as they walked out of class at 10 a.m. and led chants of "the NRA has got to go, hey hey, ho ho."
In New York City, thousands of students from across the city protested at Washington Square Park, with dozens of speeches from activists and victims of gun violence.
Columbine High School shooting survivor Amalia Fernand spoke about dealing with survivor's guilt and the long-term impact of gun violence. "The Columbine massacre shocked the world. Today, American mass shootings seem nearly commonplace," she said.
Columbine survivor Amalia Fernand has a powerful message for students protesting gun violence on the 19th anniversary of the school shooting. https://t.co/as4qTyp9jh
Several Parkland students addressed the New York protest, calling on the crowd to address gun violence in different communities.
"Every time a young person speaks their mind or questions the status quo, we do this country a service," Parkland survivor Isabelle Robinson told high school students at today's walkouts to protest gun violence. https://t.co/hsd6HIqxAM
"No student should have to hide under their classmate’s body to be here today, but I was that student," said Aalayah Eastmond, who had hid under the body of student Nicholas Dworet, who died during the shooting.
"Not only am I here to speak about school shootings but the urban communities that have been speaking about this way before Feb. 14, 2017," added Eastmond.
In Canton, Michigan, hundreds of students from Salem High School, Canton High School, and Plymouth High School (the three schools make up the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park) walked out of class and sat on the school's football field.
A group of Canton students then sang a song to commemorate the Columbine shooting.
In Detroit, hundreds of students participated in the walkout.
Walkout in Detroit goes as far as the eye can see. #NationalSchoolWalkout
And at McKinney North High School in McKinney, Texas, students posted on Snapchat as they walked out of class.
Hundreds of students at Tampa Bay Tech in Tampa, Florida, chanted, "Enough is enough."
Dozens poured out of classes at Katella High School in Anaheim, California.
Students also joined in the National School Walkout at Atherton High School in Louisville, Kentucky.
#NationalSchoolWalkout in Louisville-metro area: a crowd of @atherton_high students has gathered near the student parking lot. Are you seeing another walkout? Let me know! https://t.co/cav3NR47dL
At Plano Senior High School in Plano, Texas, students chanted, "Gun control."
At San Antonio's Lee High School, students had 17 minutes silence for the 17 victims of the Parkland massacre.
And it wasn't just high schools. Sutton Middle School, in Atlanta, had a protest in their school gymnasium.
Power in Protest. #NationalSchoolWalkout