So
I finally made it to my first Black Lives Matter-Columbia vigil today, a few
hours after completing the B&A Trail Marathon. The vigil is held at a very
busy intersection at one of the entrances to Columbia Mall. It was an excellent
turnout, with an entire shoulder on one side of the road filled with folk
holding signs saying "Black Lives Matter," invoking the names of
Philando Castille and other victims of police murders; decrying the
school-to-prison pipeline; or calling for justice for all. There was a smaller
but energetic group of activists on the other side of the road as well.
I
stood with the larger group of activists in my shalwar kameez, seemingly the
only Pakistani in attendance (unfortunate because the Columbia area has a very
sizable Indo-Pak population).
Amazingly,
the young white woman next to me, whom I'd met at a recent NAACP meeting, was
also a marathoner. (She was preparing to run Boston in a little more than a
week!) She told me she attends the vigil each month. I carried a sign saying
"We stand with the family of Terrence Sterling; Stop Police Murders,"
which I'd hastily penned after running the 26.2 that morning.
Sterling
was a 31-year old resident of Fort Washington (a DC outskirt). In 2016, he was
riding his motorcycle--unarmed--when he was shot in the neck by police, who
claimed he deliberately backed his motorcycle into a police cruiser. No
criminal charges were brought against the officers involved.
Participants
at the BLM-Columbia vigil were of all races and ethnicities, with a high degree
of White participation. The Howard County NAACP chapter was there in force.
Numerous candidates running in the upcoming local elections were also present.
The vigil was entirely peaceful, with the greatest perturbation being the
constant beeping of horns by passing motorists in support of the vigil.
It
was a great day to stand up for justice.
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