"I needed to act": 11-year-old takes stand against child abuse
Even though Elijah Lee is only 11 years old, he believes it's never to early to stand up and speak out against violence and injustice.
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After he learned that one of his peers had been the victim of abuse, Elijah felt compelled to do something.
"I needed to act," he said.
"Every day in America, five children are killed due to child abuse, and that really affected me," he said.
His mother, Jessica Lee, said Elijah did the legwork himself, filling out the police permit for the march and paying $40 to rent space at the park.
"I think it tugs at his heart," she said about her son's dedication to combating child abuse. "Elijah is extremely empathetic and he doesn't like to see anyone get hurt."
At this year's march, Elijah will deliver a speech and someone will read a poem by Maya Angelou called "Alone." He knows about the poet's story of being sexually assaulted as a child and going mute for five years because of the trauma.
"That poem really means a lot to me, that she felt so alone because she believed that she could not go to someone," Elijah said. "I believe that is very important for kids to go to someone."
"He sat on my lap and said 'Mommy, don't cry. Daddy's in heaven, and that's the best place to be in the world," Jessica Lee said.
Elijah would go on to be ordained as a minister at Holy City Church in Emporia, Va., where he often delivers a message from the pulpit.
He urges children not to shy away from taking a stand when they see wrong in the world.
"I think that's important because kids are told to be quiet all the time, figuratively and literally, and I think it's time that kids start speaking up," he said.
Ask Elijah about his birthday -- it's December 5th -- and he's quick to list significant events on that day in history, such as the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 and the death of South African president Nelson Mandela.
"Here are great people leaving a legacy, and I kind of want to do the same thing -- leave a legacy."
When it comes to building a legacy, he never wants it to be said that he's just a kid.
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