What to Know
- The Fearless Girl statue in Wall Street was cloaked in a bulletproof vest Friday
- The father of a student murdered during the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, placed a bulletproof vest on the Fearless Girl statue
- The move is to protest mass shootings in the United States
The Fearless Girl statue was cloaked in a bulletproof vest Friday.
The father of a student murdered during the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, earlier this year, placed a bulletproof vest on the Fearless Girl statue on Wall Street to protest mass shootings in the United States.
Manuel Oliver, the father of, Joaquin “Guac," who was one of 17 people killed inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, placed the vest on the statue to create “#FearfulGirl.”
Oliver’s organization, Change the Ref, is a nonprofit that uses urban art to creatively confront and expose the mass shooting impacts in the country.
The goal of #FearfulGirl is to promote sensible gun laws before Tuesday’s elections, according to a statement from the organization.
“She can’t be fearless if she’s afraid to go back to school,” Change the Ref said in a tweet Friday, which showcased the statue in the bulletproof vest.
Change the Ref partnered with Fight Gunfire With Fire, a group that encourages students to use creativity to help stop gun violence in America.
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Three advertising students from the University of Alabama, MK Holladay, Emeline Earman and Mingyu Jo originated the idea, which grew into #FearfulGirl, according to Change the Ref.
#FearfulGirl comes on the heels of Change the Ref’s multi-city tour to drive awareness of gun safety and encourage people to vote. Just this week, Change the Ref also unveiled a 3-D printed statue resembling the organization's founders' son in Times Square to fight the threat of blueprints to print a 3-D gun.
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Change the Ref was founded by Manuel and Patricia Oliver in memory of their son who was one of the 17 victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. The organization's mission is to keep the memory of the victims alive, while working to achieve change to prevent future shootings from taking place by raising awareness through strategic urban art interventions.
“Fearless Girl” — a bronze statue of a girl was installed near the iconic Charging Bull statue on Wall Street ahead of International Women’s Day early March — has since become, to some, a symbol of strength and defiance.
