x
Breaking News
More () »

'We have a voice': Student athlete marches for friend lost to gun violence

"People think all we think about is sports. No, we don't. We have emotions, too, like other people."
Credit: Odom Family
13 year old Taylor Odom is a student-athlete who'll take part in the March For Our Lives Saturday in Washington DC. The march is personal for her after losing her good friend Jamahri Sydnor in a shooting death last fall.

13-year-old Taylor Odom isn't just an athlete; she's an activist.

And on Saturday, for the March For Our Lives, she'll be marching for a personal reason.

Taylor plays basketball, runs track and is involved in several other sports. She says she's involved to "escape from the world we live in because its kinda crazy nowdays."

RELATED: Everything you need to know about March For Our Lives

She says she's going to the march because she wants to see things change in the world today, and believes as an athlete she should take part.

"People think all we think about is sports. No, we don't. We have emotions, too, like other people and we have a voice."

The event is personal for her after losing her friend Jamahri Sydnor to gun violence last summer.

VIDEO: Remembering Jamahri Sydnor, 17-year-old killed in D.C.

"That is one of the reasons I'll be marching", she said.

Her mom, Sandy Williams Odom, told WUSA9 that, "Ever since Jamahri died she [Taylor] and her sister just got involved, just spearheading with their friends. They wanted to give back for Jamahri."

Taylor says she thinks Jamahri would be proud of her for "standing up for what I believe in."

This isn't the first time Taylor has gotten involved in current events.

She and her sister Krystian have a YouTube news program for young people called TK2LDCNews which stands for Teaching Kids to Love DC News.

Before You Leave, Check This Out