RISE UP: CELEBRATING YOUNG LEADER ACTIVISTS — Naomi Wadler, age 12
From the civil rights movement to protests against the Vietnam War and the fight for women’s rights, the youth of America have been at the forefront of advocating for social change. And the young people of today are no different. In a new series titled RISE UP: Celebrating Young Leader Activists, Yahoo News profiles five up-and-coming leaders from the millennials and from Gen Z. Our first installment features 12-year-old Naomi Wadler of Alexandria, Va.
Like most kids her age, Naomi knows how to have fun; whether she’s working on her skateboarding skills or playing with her younger sister, she has an energetic demeanor and a charming, contagious smile. But make no mistake, when it comes to the issue of gun violence in America, Naomi speaks with a gravity and maturity that belies her young age.
After watching the horrific Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting — in which 17 were killed and 17 injured — unfold on her living-room TV, Naomi sat down with her mother to discuss the emotions that began building up inside of her. Desperately wanting to do something about the situation, Naomi decided to get involved — especially after she learned that one of the Parkland victims was the daughter of her mother’s old high school friend.
Watching students from other high schools and middle schools across the country hold walkout protests inspired Naomi. A fifth-grader at the time, she and a friend since kindergarten, Carter Anderson, decided to organize a protest at their school, George Mason Elementary. Not only would the school’s students become the youngest to participate in a Parkland-inspired walkout, but this demonstration would be slightly different thanks to a change Naomi implemented: While the majority of the walkouts around the country lasted for 17 minutes to honor the 17 Parkland victims, an extra minute was added to remember Courtlin Arrington, a 17-year old black student who was shot and killed at Huffman High School in Alabama on March 7, 2018. Naomi noticed that Arrington’s story, compared with other school shootings, received little media attention. “When black women are shot and killed, their names aren’t remembered,” explains Naomi. “We didn’t want to leave Courtlin’s story untold.”
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After the huge success with her walkout, the experience led to Naomi finding her calling as an activist. Her leap from the local news to the national stage started with a phone call from movie star George Clooney. “I was really excited and just overwhelmed!” recalls Naomi. Clooney had invited her to speak at the March for Our Lives rally in Washington, D.C., where she would be the youngest guest to give a speech. Naomi, expressive and articulate, spoke at length about many black female victims of gun violence whose presence in the media is barely felt — and the country took notice. Now, after several appearances on talk shows such as Ellen and at conferences such as Women in the World, Naomi continues to spread her message on a global scale. Most recently, she received a Disruptive Innovation Award at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival — and a standing ovation. As one of the country’s most committed youth leaders, she shows no signs of slowing down, saying, “To be a young student leader feels empowering and motivating. There is still work to be done, and we will be the ones to get it done.”