By FARAH PRINCE
“I am my sister,” two female students chanted during a rally Tuesday at Hempstead High School marking the anniversary of the abduction of 270 Nigerian girls by terrorist group Boko Haram.
The rally was led by Associate Assistant Principal Olga Brown Young who urged the large group of teens to “understand why we are here.
She added, “We’re sending a message.”
In a wooded area near the schools entrance, students poured out of the building carrying simple white signs with bold black words. They read, “Bring Back Our Girls”; and some boys carried signs stating, “Real Men Don’t Buy Girls”.
They stood in solidarity to not only remember the anniversary on Monday and Tuesday of the abduction but also to demand that action be taken to finally bring the girls home.
The gesture was symbolic since observers would agree that schoolgirls on Long Island could not influence the African terrorist group. But it was a powerful teaching device.
Along with Brown, Hempstead Deputy Mayor, Waylon Hobbs and two girls also spoke during the demonstration.
“We are united as a school to tell the world bring our girls back,” said Jocelyn Alvarez of Hempstead High.
Osato Irowa, another student, echoed Alvarez’s statement saying, “Girls lives matter too.”
Armed with red ribbon, Brown asked students to tie the ribbons on trees around the school as tribute to the abducted girls.
“These red ribbons will stay tied on these trees till these girls come home,” she pledged.
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