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\"I was shocked and proud of Nashville because there are a lot of people who live here who don’t agree with the Black Lives Matter movement,\" Mikayla, 16, a high school junior, told \"GMA.\" \"It just felt like we had people on our side ... I know that our voices were heard.\"

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When asked what she had learned by organizing her first protest, Mikayla replied, \"No matter what you are or who you are, if you put your mind to it, you can make a difference. A week ago I did not think I would be capable of doing something like this.\"

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get to know me ✨: hi my name is 🦋mikayla🦋( @mi.kaylaaa._ )one of the six members of teens for equality.💕 i am 16 years old. i love to fight for what is right. my goal is equal rights for everyone. ✊🏽💕 swipe to see my natural goof ball energy.😭

A post shared by Teens4Equality (@teens.4.equality) on Jun 6, 2020 at 4:17am PDT

The teens emphasized that the march was peaceful, with no arrests made, and featured people of all ages, races, denominations and backgrounds, just as they had hoped.

\"PHOTO:
Amy Harris/REX via Shutterstock
PHOTO: Protestors gather in front of the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, June 4, 2020.
>

Their Teens 4 Equality organization now has nearly 25,000 followers on social media and is already planning a second protest this Fourth of July, Independence Day.

\"It’s going to be red, black and blue instead of red, white and blue because we felt like there’s not really a ton to celebrate in our country when it’s this shattered and broken and the systems aren’t how they should be,\" said Emma Rose, adding the protest will also include a voter registration drive. \"We think it’s not a time to really be celebrating a country that’s divided.\"

Emma Rose and Mikayla said they are empowered by what they were able to accomplish in Nashville and hope other young people are encouraged to \"speak up\" and not remain silent.

Shout out to the organizers @teensforequali1 for a successful protest. We are so proud of these young activists! #Nashville #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/XVYvi8NEy8

— The Equity Alliance (@EquityAlliance1) June 5, 2020

\"You are your own person so don’t take your parents’ political views. Educate yourself, learn about each political party and make your own decision,\" said Emma Rose. \"If you want to make a protest, you can make a protest.\"

\"We have our own views. We are the next face of the country,\" she said of young people like herself. \"We are a lot more aware than our ancestors because of social media and I don’t think we’re going to make the same mistakes. I think we’re going to make change so our children don’t have to be doing the same exact thing that we’re doing.\"

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