By Rev. Tamara O. Kersey, TCR Contributing WriterAcross the nation, activists and change agents have been galvanizing voters from first time millennial voters to those who are least likely to vote in local or national elections.
In Graham, North Carolina, protests and marches have occurred steadily downtown since the murder of George Floyd.
Changing the climate of systemic racism, discrimination, marginalization, and oppression happen not only with shifting principles and systems but also by the ballot box.
Saturday morning, October 31, Rev. Greg Drumwright of Justice for the Next Generation gathered Millennials and a diversity of other generations at historic Wayman Chapel AME Church in Graham where Rev. Gwendolyn Benjamin is the pastor. The march to the polls was titled, “I Am Change”.
The day opened with prayer by Pastor Benjamin as marchers made their way to the court square where the confederate monument has been the source of contention and remains a blight on the city of Graham. From the court square, the plan was to march to the poll approximately a block away.
There was an 8:46 moment of silence where some kneeled to commemorate the last moments of George Floyd’s life. Seconds after, the video shows law enforcement dispensing a chemical agent in the crowd whose ages ranged from children to the elderly.
The Graham Police Department and Justice 4 The Next Generation both held press conferences Sunday, November 1, 2020. Information at this time seems to contradict eyewitness accounts of the people who participated in the march. The question of the legitimacy of the street closure is a point of contention for the actions of law enforcement; however, the acts on Saturday, October 31
st will go down in history as similar to the 1960s cases of abuse of power of Bull Connor and George Wallace when black people simply marched in a voter registration campaign.
These types of egregious acts and abuses of power are demeaning and dehumanizing. There is an investigation to release footage and to review the actual agreement for the day’s march. Further information will be shared once further documentation is released.
Editor's Note: A follow-up march is taking place on November 2 and we will provide additional coverage and reflections afterward. Please continue to be in prayer for the safety of the marchers and encourage your family, friends, and congregations to vote. Photo is used with permission.
The Rev. Tamara O. Kersey is an ordained itinerant elder in the Second Episcopal District of the AME Church. She is a 2013 graduate of the M.Div. program at Shaw University Divinity School and serves as: the WNCC, Western District Social Action Commission coordinator, Advisory Board of the Institute for Early Career Clergy Development (IECCD) at Hood Theological Seminary, contributing writer for TCR, AlamancePride co-founding board member and pastor of Johnson Chapel AME Church in Mebane, North Carolina.
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