Havana Chapman-Edwards, a first-grader at Fort Hunt Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia, was the only student from her school to walk out on Friday.

Her mom, Bethany Edwards, said the staff and faculty did not address the idea of a walkout. Edwards decided to drive to the school and sign Havana out from the front office so she would not be stopped.

Edwards said Havana was sad about being alone — until she saw footage from other schools:

“When we walked out and saw no one else had, I was crushed initially because she was so upset. But watching her sit in silence and then we turned on CNN live to watch the other schools. She said ‘I am going to tell my friends I did this, and then next time there will be more of us. That means we are winning.’ I knew then that she understood what it means to be a leader, even in the most simple terms.”

Havana wore an orange spacesuit throughout her walkout.

“By wearing her astronaut suit, she wants show the world that black girls are beautiful and strong and have just as much of a right to be leaders as anyone else. She wants to be a warrior for girls all over the world who don’t have a voice,” her mom added.