Around 300 people joined the peaceful “March Towards Love and Courage” Monday evening from the London Nelson Community Center to Santa Cruz City Hall as part of Juneteenth.
Juneteenth, which celebrates the emancipation of slaves in the United States, was designated a federal holiday in 2021.
“The goal of the event is bring awareness of the last three years of the Black Lives Matter movement since the George Floyd tragedy and reflect on the current state of the Black Lives Matter movement in Santa Cruz,” said event organizer Thairie Ritchie. “Today we march for unity, education and policy change.”
The group chanted slogans and waved signs such as, “Black and Asian Solidarity,” “We Must Stand Together,” and “Yellow Peril Supports Black Power,” as they walked to City Hall where a rally unfolded.
The rally centered around a large street mural that reads “Black Lives Matter,” that was vandalized two years ago when two men left heavy skid marks with their vehicle across the length of the sprawling mural. A mural repainting rally is set for Saturday.
Following the march, Santa Cruz County Supervisor Justin Cummings said, “There’s a lot of love and a lot of community coming together here today. People are coming together and there’s a lot of momentum all weekend and it feels great.”
Lovely March.
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