rise! this nc black boy was the only student to walk out of his high school

While thousands upon thousands of students walked out of American classrooms to protest gun violence yesterday, Justin Blackman, a student at Wilson Preparatory Academy in North Carolina found that he was the only student at the school participating in the demonstration. Undeterred by his evident isolation, Blackman live Tweeted his protest anyway.

Wow I’m literally the only one #NationalSchoolWalkout pic.twitter.com/2F95qY2vTI

— Justin Blackman (@JustinIBlackman) March 14, 2018

After returning to class, Blackman relieved to find no punishment for his participation and some students even congratulated him on his courage and conviction. “Now, I truly know that one person is all it takes,” he says, reflecting on the experience. “No matter the age, skin color, gender—it doesn’t matter.”