First-grader becomes powerful voice for Black Lives Matter protest: 'No justice, no peace'

While she might be one of the youngest protestors on the streets, Wynta-Amor Rogers is definitely not one to be underestimated. The 7-year-old from Long Island, New York, recently went viral on social media after a video of the little girl marching and passionately chanting "no justice, no peace" at a demonstration in Merrick was widely shared online. The video tweeted by Long Island Herald Executive Editor Scott Brinton captures the first grader's powerful call for justice and has been hailed as one of the most powerful voices fighting against racism.

Lakyia Jackson, Rogers' mom, identified her daughter in Brinton's tweet saying, "Thank for your support today. This is my daughter, Wynta-Amor. We have to show our kids the right way." The video soon reached the eyes of Sen. Kamala Harris who praised the little girl in a tweet that reads: Wynta-Amor gives me hope. Thank you both for everything that you’re doing. We’re in this fight together. Several netizens echoed the senator's sentiments, showering the young girl with words of admiration and encouragement.

Speaking to Newsday in an interview on Thursday, Rogers explained why she took to the streets and joined the nationwide protests following George Floyd's death in police custody. "I just want everybody to get along. I want us to be a good New York community," she said, with wisdom far beyond her years. "If we get through with this, we can fight this, you know? And we can come into a big group in one piece — just one piece." The little girl shared that she hopes to see racial unity. "I was marching because I want black people and white people to be together," she said. "For my message for people, I just want God to be strong. We can get through this."

Jackson revealed that she initially planned to leave her daughter at home due to the rain. However, the young girl was determined to go and finally managed to convince her mom. "She was like, ‘No, mommy, I want to go,'" Jackson said. The proud mother also said that Rogers—who attends the Roosevelt Children’s Academy—understands equality even though she may be too young to grasp some other aspects of the current tension in the nation, such as violence and looting. "I just have to explain to her, everyone is not peaceful," she said. "She understands the reason why we dropped on our knee was because the police, you know, killed George Floyd... She understands that there are good cops and there are bad cops."

Speaking of her daughter becoming an online sensation overnight, Jackson said, "I was like, 'Wow, look what my daughter has done.' She has been heard." As for those criticizing her for taking a 7-year-old to the protest, the proud mother chooses to pay them no heed. "The negativity doesn’t bother me because at the end of the day this is what’s going on and this is our future, so we have to let our future see what’s going on all," she said, reports NBC New York. "If not, they’re gonna see it on their own the hard way, so it’s not a problem."

Rogers marched in her second protest on Thursday, where she 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?" the little girl chanted as Black Lives Matter demonstrators gathered around her replied, "Jamel Floyd." Rogers revealed she hopes to prompt change like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "I just want everybody to be respectful, grateful, and never let people down. If anybody says you’re not good, don’t let them (make) you think you’re bad," she said.