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Athens Drive High students hold walkout ahead of trip to DC

On Saturday, people around the world will rally against gun violence and mass school shootings.

Posted Updated

By
Claudia Rupcich
, WRAL reporter
RALEIGH, N.C. — On Saturday, people around the world will rally against gun violence and mass school shootings.

Many North Carolina students and adults will travel north to the Washington, D.C., protest, which will start on Pennsylvania Avenue at 12 p.m., but for those who can’t make it to the March for Our Lives in the nation’s capital, around 835 individual events have been organized worldwide, with around 20 protests planned in North Carolina.

On Friday, hundreds of students at Athens Drive High School in Raleigh participated in a walkout. Organizers said the point was to raise awareness and encourage fellow students to get involved.

Andre Barbosa, one of the organizers, said he wants his voice to be heard.

"We are the change. We are the next generation of kids that are going to stand up and say 'no more,'" Barbosa said. "A lot of it has been raising awareness. A lot of kids aren't educated on the topic. Just getting that out there and informing them, and letting them know what is going on is a priority."

Barbosa said he and some of the other students at Athens Drive plan to attend Saturday's rally in Washington.

"If there is an opportunity to get my voice out, I'm going to do it," he said.

GulamMuhammad Khan will be one of many Athens Drive High students to attend the rally in Raleigh.

"I don't want to hear my close friend worry about losing me or someone they love because they think they're not safe in school," he said. "What I want to say is that far too many students have been killed where they have been sent to learn. I think it's a tragedy for both our country and on a human level. We have to take care of this before it becomes normalized."

Organizers are expecting up to 3,000 Wake County students to march to Halifax Mall in Raleigh Saturday morning. Events there begin with speeches around 9:45 a.m. followed by a march and rally.

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