By Max Hall, August 26, 2020 —
Last Saturday morning, I arrived at the Courthouse in Warrenton, Virginia. It was the tenth week in a row for our local Black Lives Matter Vigil. The Vigils started shortly after the murder of George Floyd, and have occurred every week since then. Seeking justice is a journey, and not always a short one.
Our local protest, Vigil for Action: Black Lives Matter, is sponsored by The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, The League of Women Voters, and The NAACP – Fauquier County Branch. They are a part of the fabric of our community and are quietly making a difference every single day with their good activities across Warrenton and Fauquier County.
Each week, between 65 and 120 people gather at the Warrenton Courthouse in peaceful protest. The group coordinates with our local police, and there is always at least one officer in attendance providing protection. After an initial greeting, there are words of inspiration from a clergyman or speaker. Previous speakers include clergy from Baptist, Catholic, Buddhist, Episcopal, and Unitarian churches. The crowd then spreads out on the sidewalks of the four streets that intersect at the Courthouse and holds a Vigil for the next 45 minutes.
On a recent Saturday morning, we were a multi-hued and multicultural gathering of around 100 black, brown, cream, and white. Women, men, children, and dogs. Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and probably a few agnostics and atheists. Old, middle-aged, young adults, and toddlers. You could look around and see the America of today, and the future.
We were greeted by Atefeh Rokhvand, who then introduced Imam Nahidian from the Manassas, Virginia Mosque. After his thoughtful and encouraging words, we moved to the streets approaching the courthouse, where we stood waving our signs. Many who drove by honked and gave a thumbs up. Some just looked straight ahead.
What good does all of this do? Are we changing any minds? Scott Christian of The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy explained the mission for the local Black Lives Matter Vigil as fourfold:
- To encourage an understanding of systemic racism as being both institutional and personal.
- To promote changes in policies and laws by advocacy and elections.
- To demonstrate peacefully, with a diverse group of participants, that ending racism is not partisan.
- To keep this issue in the public eye through the November elections.
I can’t tell you whether we changed any minds last Saturday. I do know advocacy and bearing witness are key to effecting change for most issues. I encourage all to confront the issue of racism and consider how you can make a difference. If “Black Lives Matter” with Capital Letters causes you concern that you are somehow supporting a larger group, then simply remove the capital letters. We should all agree, black lives do matter.
For my friends who say “all lives matter”, yes, of course, they do. But we have a sickness in this country that is going to kill us if we don’t cure it. When you can be publicly suffocated to death, killed while falling asleep in a Wendy’s parking lot, murdered while sleeping in your own bed, murdered while jogging through a neighborhood, or shot in the back seven times while your three children watch, the world is not right. We are not right. If we don’t solve this problem of racism, what becomes of us?
These Vigils were originally scheduled to end Labor Day weekend. Last week, a decision was made to extend them through the November 3rd elections. As we approach the end of summer, the three organizing groups are distributing information to help people advocate with legislators, inform them about various candidate’s policy positions in the upcoming November election, help people register to vote, and help people understand Virginia’s new laws on absentee and early voting.
Seeking justice is a journey, and not always a short one. I hope you join us on this pilgrimage.
(Reposted Sept. 9, 2020 from Max Hall’s blog)