Yolanda Renee King is a name you may not know, but you can be sure it’s a name you’re likely to hear more of in the future. On Saturday, the March For Our Lives commenced and King — who is the 9-year-old granddaughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — gave a passionate speech.
"My name is Yolanda Renee King, granddaughter of Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King," she said to a massive, roaring crowd.
Holding the mic and pacing herself, little Yolanda then proceeded to pay homage to her late grandfather like an old pro.
"My grandfather had a dream that his four little children would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character,” she started. “I have a dream that enough is enough, and that this should be a gun-free world, period."
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Onstage, Martin’s eldest granddaughter stood beside Jaclyn Corin, a survivor of the Parkland shooting, which happened earlier in February. (Corin, who appears on the cover of a recent issue of Time magazine, also gave a memorable speech.)
“Can you please repeat these words after me?” she asked the crowd. “Spread the word, have you heard, all across the nation, we are going to be a great generation!" Though the best part was, despite the crowd’s high energy, she knew they could do better. “Now say it like you really, really mean it!” she asked her crowd, before having them repeat the chant. After the final chant, she and Jaclyn then gave one another a huge hug.
Way to command a crowd, girl. Yolanda wasn’t the only young person to win over the attention of thousands today, 11-year-old Naomi Wadler also commanded the crowd. Watch Yolanda’s moment below and prepare to get inspired.
This story was updated to correct Coretta Scott King's name. We regret the error.
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