On March 24 , Wadler spoke to a crowd of thousands at the anti-gun protest March for Our Lives in Washington , D.C . She talked about why she pushed for the walkout and said that there 's a disproportionate number of black female victims of gun violence in the United States . Wadler had the protest last 18 minutes instead of 17 minutes like those at other schools were doing for the 17 victims of the school shooting in Parkland , Florida . The extra minute was in honor of a black girl who was shot dead at her high school in Alabama on March 7 . Wadler was initially worried that discussing black female victims would be considered " off topic " , but felt comfortable after finding out about " other students from all over would speak from their experiences " . The speech became viral , trending worldwide on Twitter , and was praised by black actresses
school shooting
Stoneman Douglas High School shooting
Naomi Wadler