Student Who Walked Out Alone In March Has Company On Columbine Anniversary

A North Carolina student who protested alone during last month’s national walkout for gun control wasn’t alone Friday when he walked out again on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre.

Justin Blackman was the only student among 700 at Wilson Preparatory Academy who participated in the March 14 walkout to end gun violence. That demonstration took place exactly one month after the Parkland, Florida, school shooting that claimed 17 lives.

Blackman took video, which he later uploaded to Twitter, showing that he was the sole person at his school to take part in last month’s 17-minute protest.

“Hello, Twitter, there’s going to be like six people watching this hopefully,” he said in the video. “I’m the only one from my school out here.”

On Friday, Blackman walked out again as part of a nationwide event to remember the Columbine shooting in Colorado and protest gun violence. This time, he wasn’t alone.

“Justin is very opinionated,” Blackman’s mother, Megan, told CNN during his first walkout. “He’s not a follower. Strong-minded.”