Young people in Howard County made it happen yesterday. We know them only as HoCo for Justice, who sponsored a Black Lives Matter March and Vigil in Columbia* beginning at the Mall and ending at the lakefront. They planned, they organized, they executed, they followed through. If you were there, you know better than I. I’ve read numerous accolades for how well the event was organized.
The news outlets who covered the event don’t emphasize that fact as much as I would like. These are our kids. They go to our schools. Their vision for the future is bigger than the bubble they were born in.
Perhaps this is because the organizers did not want the focus to be on themselves. Their focus was on the issues, and on creating an opportunity for their communty to participate and be heard. I am guessing that they saw this event as an integral part of creating communities that will work for justice. And, from everything I have seen, they accomplished their goals.
A huge Village Green/Town² HoCo Holler to the members of HoCo for Justice for doing the work and walking the walk.
Organizing an event this large that has so many moving parts is a difficult task even for adults who have years of experience in this kind of work. That clearly did not daunt these young people from undertaking it. We owe them our thanks. They gave us the gift of adding our voices to the voices of many. They helped us to express our anger and grief. They helped us feel pride in our communty.
If you want to know how local news covered it, here you are:
Baltimore Sun, Ana Faguy
‘I am not a threat’: Thousands march in Columbia to protest police brutality, death of George Floyd
CBS News (WJZ), Rachel Cardin
Howard County Police Chief Lisa Myers On George Floyd’s Death: ‘These Types Of Incidents Embarrass Our Profession’
WBAL, Kai Reed
Thousands of Marylanders march for George Floyd
If you want to know what it was really like, ask someone who was there.
*photos used with permission
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