- Video circulating on social media shows a seven-year-old protester giving a powerful speech to a group of Black Lives Matter protesters in New York last week.
- Wynta-Amor Rogers, a first-grader and Long Island native, can be seen in the video leading chants of "No justice, no peace," at a demonstration in Merrick, New York.
- Rogers has been filmed leading chants and marching at protests in recent days. One video of Rogers passionately chanting at a protest in Merrick has garnered over 22 million views as of Sunday evening.
- Rogers has said she's determined to prompt change, just like Martin Luther King Jr. did.
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Wynta-Amor Rogers, a seven-year-old protester from Long Island, has gone viral on social media after videos emerged of her marching, chanting, and leading protesters through a powerful speech last week.
In less than two weeks, protests have erupted across all 50 states and in several countries over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Calls are being made to end police brutality and for justice to be handed down in cases involving deaths of black Americans at the hands of law enforcement.
On June 3, the Long Island Herald captured footage of Rogers protesting while passionately chanting "No justice, no peace." Lakyia Jackson, Roger's mother, said that her daughter just wanted to make a difference and insisted on attending a protest.
"We must show the kids of the world the right way," Jackson tweeted in response to the video of her daughter. "And I will start with mine."
The video of Rogers' marching has received over 22 million views and 63,000 retweets.
This little girl is among the #BlackLivesMattter protesters in #Merrick. More at #LIHerald tonight. pic.twitter.com/5E1rmD3KqJ
— Scott Brinton (@ScottBrinton1) June 3, 2020
On June 4, Rogers took the mic at a peaceful protest in Merrick, New York, and gave a powerful speech in honor of Jamel Floyd, a 35-year-old inmate at Metropolitan Detention Center who died after police officers pepper-sprayed him in his cell.
"Say it louder. What's his name?" Rogers chanted, as Black Lives Matter demonstrators surrounded her while replying, "Jamel Floyd."
Wynta-Amor Rogers is 7 years old. She took the mic at a peaceful protest in honor of Jamel Floyd, a 35 year old man who was detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center, and died after getting pepper sprayed. Please turn the sound up. Full story at 10 @news12bx @News12BK pic.twitter.com/ZhvRE5lrBp
— Sabrina Franza (@sabrinafranza) June 5, 2020
In an interview with Newsday last week, Rogers urged people to stand united.
"I just want everybody to get along," she said. "I want us to be a good New York community."
The 7-year-old has also said she's determined to prompt change, just like Martin Luther King Jr. did.
Meet Wynta-Amor Rogers. A video of the 7-year-old at a protest in #Merrick yesterday went viral. She has a message for everyone. #LIprotests pic.twitter.com/XnNVQeWYbP
— Newsday (@Newsday) June 4, 2020
Jackson previously said that she's received backlash from social media users angry about a child attending protests. But Jackson said the criticism doesn't bother her.
"We have to let our future see what's going on also," Jackson told E! News.
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