A group of Dublin Coffman High School students organized a rally on Saturday to support those affected by the mass shooting in Atlanta nearly two weeks ago.
Annie Johnson and two of her friends organized this rally with the help of Ohio Asian-American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Caucus Chair Sam Shim.
The vigil and rally was held at Bridge Park Saturday evening.
The vigil was organized to raise money for the Atlanta victims' families and other AAPI organizations.
8 people were shot and killed in the Atlanta area when a shooter targeted several spas in the area. 6 of those victims were Asian.
Johnson says this shooting hit close to home for her and her family.
“I feel like the worst thing a person can do is feel like they can’t do anything about it, like obviously recently with everything that’s been going on, like I said, it’s very disheartening and easy to get discouraged but I think people need to realize they do have that strength inside of them, every single person,” Johnson said.
Johnson said she’s always felt the urge to create change in the world and speak out against any type of hate, but it was the recent shooting that pushed her even more.
“Every single person has a revolution inside them, if only they are willing to act on it and it’s up to us to create change, so I believe that empowering people and giving them the opportunities they want to, that is the most important thing,” Johnson said.