A 16-year-old high school student in North Carolina received widespread support on social media on Wednesday after posting a video during his lone walkout.
Justin Blackman was the only student from his high school who walked out of class in support of National Walkout Day, a movement that spread across the country to advocate for gun control one month after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Florida.
Blackman posted a video to Twitter saying “like six people” would hopefully watch it. But the post went viral, with over 33,000 retweets and 168,000 likes on Wednesday.
{mosads} Blackman received praise from celebrities and activists like Chelsea Clinton, Alyssa Milano and comedian Samantha Bee.
The teenager wrote on Twitter though that he was hoping for a message from Ellen Degeneres.
Blackman said his Spanish teacher let him leave class without a word but other students protesting across the country faced penalties from their administrators.
A Chicago student was handcuffed and led away by police for participating.
A group of students in California broke through locked gates after school officials banned them from leaving campus.