Sometimes you have to walk alone to make a change. 
As students across the nation walked out with their classmates on the anniversary of the Columbine High School mass shooting, 7-year-old Havana Edwards was the sole student to participate in the protest at her school. 
The Washington, D.C., elementary student encouraged others to join her on April 20, telling Teen Vogue: "I didn't understand why they didn't care. I tried to tell them to come, but they said no." 
Despite the lack of support, she stood tall.   

"She said, 'I am going to tell my friends I did this, and then next time there will be more of us. That means we are winning.'" Bethany Edwards, Havana's mom, told Teen Vogue of what her daughter said to her about the walkout. "I knew then that she understood what it means to be a leader, even in the most simple terms."

Following the Feb. 14 mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, young people around the country have joined the fight against gun violence. 
Havana is one of those young people. She was inspired by the bravery of Parkland survivor Emma Gonzalez and young activist Naomi Wadler after attending the March For Our Lives rally in March.
"I am all alone at my school, but I know I am not alone," she wrote in a tweet accompanying a photo of her sitting alone on National School Walkout day while wearing an astronaut suit. 

"Havana wants to be an astronaut when she grows up, so she wore her astronaut suit to show her friends and the world that little black girls have dreams and aspirations and they are strong and beautiful and deserve the same chance to achieve their goals as everyone else," her mom said.  

However, this tiny leader has always been involved in activism and giving back. Havana started a book club that coincides with the Black Lives Matter movement because she believes that black books matter.

"You are never too little to make a difference," Havana said. "I know that just because I am only seven doesn't mean that I can't help other people every day. My advice to other kids is that you don't have to be a grownup or be famous to change the world. Sometimes you just have to choose kind to change the world."
This whole experience has only strengthened her resolve and she will continue to encourage others to stand up for what is right.  
Bethany EdwardsColumbine High SchoolColumbine High School anniversarygun law reformGun violenceHavana EdwardsMarjory Stoneman Douglas High Schoolnational school walkoutNational walkout