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"His life was beautiful! But we downplayed that. We didn't celebrate enough." "We need to do better for Black men! We WILL do better for Black men!"
My dumb ass is (probably) gonna misspell Jadai's name and there is no excuse for it: he's speaking now. Someone correct me in the comments He talks about the legacy of America: from colonialization to slavery
He talks about how low-income white indentured servants formed community with Black slaves at the start How the rich landowners saw this as a threat In 1705, the Virginia slave codes made all Black people slaves and set white indentured servants free
How the slave patrols that began in this period eventually became the modern police system we suffer under today
"You have to know your history to know where you're at. This is the origin of why we're here today, on George Floyd's birthday. Where he should be today, 47 years old and alive and breathing "But he's not. Because of where this country's from"
"do you think we can reform this?" "No!" the crowd yes He talks about how abolition is the only answer
"it's gonna take us continuously coming out here. Putting pressure on it. Trying to topple it. Like the statues" Cheers "Fuck Bitchtopher Columbus! Fuck Abraham Lincoln! Fuck all those presidents! They all have blood on their hands"
Jadai talks about the importance of mutual aid and community. He thanks George Floyd for sparking a revolution
(it's Jahdi and his cashapp is: $JahdiBLM)
The next activist, Renae, steps forward She talks about how George Floyd gives her hope for justice for her brother Reminds us that this fight won't end when Biden gets into office. We have to keep going
She talks about how her brother was murdered in Detroit at 17. How police treated it like "just another murder in the hood" and never even looked into it How he made some bad friends to try to provide for their mom, who raised 6 kids on her own
She talks about the cycles that keep people stuck in poverty. How the help that exists keeps people trapped in these cycles, how that's part of the problem She cries as she relates her brother's death. "He didn't have a chance. And that set the course of my life to this day"
She talks about the need for unity. "We can't allow anger to win. We can't turn on each other" How George Floyd gave her hope for justice for her brother after 13 years "13 years not knowing why. 13 years not hearing his voice"
She thanks the young people who put this together. How inspired she is by the next generation Editorial comment: me too
The crowd says her brother's name: Sherif White
Renae's instagram: Neva4gotten_sherif She said her Cashapp but I missed it, it's hopefully on her IG sorry
Demetria Hester takes the stage! She talks about the gaslighting: police claims that we somehow deserve this "And there's nothing we have done to deserve any of the treatment we've gotten. And yet, we're here."
Demetria leads the crowd in a chant of "Fuck the Police" She reminds us that the police not only kill our community members, but tell us it's our fault. Talks about the wounds these things inflict on the community
She leads a chant of George Floyd's name. Fists in the air "This is why we fight. THIS is why we fight!" She talks about how to heal. Justice. Reparations. Remaking the system into something that serves the people
The last speaker of the night is George Floyd's cousin He tells us that George Floyd was about two things: family and community "There was never a time when he was called on and didn't step up. Never!"
He tells us George Floyd turnt it up at all times. Loved to have a good time. That we're gonna honor his memory by doing the same tonight He expresses disappointment that more people aren't out here, but how good it feels to know how much his cousin matters to the people here
"Black Lives Matter is about community! We take care of our own!" He encourages people to come out to the Red House: a safe place for Black and Indigenous people
"Big Floyd was about the struggle! He didn't have no options, like all the Black men in America!" He talks about the daily struggle. bout not having the option for fear He talks about alliance: about how aligning oneself with a movement involves listening
He calls a young child named Nova to the stage. Asks everyone to stand up The audience claps a beat while she sings "the Elmo song." It is about the cutest thing I've ever seen
Fists in the air "Total abolition means TOTAL abolition," Floyd's cousin says "Every system Must. Come. Down"
He talks about how 14 million kids--three times as many as in the Great Depression--don't get enough to eat How it's gotta change "We just destroy all systems of government. It can be done! It must be done"
He encourages anyone who wants to give money to him to give it to the Red House project: @RHonMississippi
He also encourages people to donate to the Black leadership in Portland, so that they can concentrate on helping the community
One final speaker steps forward: pastor Deshawn Williams He reminds us of America's legacy of slavery. That Black people today are "free-ish" "My brothers and my sisters, we must live in this hour...in our best life, despite those systematic challenges that confront us daily"
"we must cry out to let the systems of our oppressors know that we will live, and we will not die!" He talks about Jesus' promise of abundant living. "A social justice warrior. Black Jesus! Can I say that?" The crowd affirms that he can
He talks about the importance of this struggle in time. Part of something that came before, in the name of that which comes after About the importance of maintaining hope About our roles in upholding the hope in each other
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