Marchers in Fredericksburg walked the path from the Dorothy Hart Community Center to Shiloh Baptist Church, commemorating the Walker Grant High School graduating class of 1950.
The 27 graduates of the sole Fredericksburg high school that was open to African American students were supposed to have their graduation ceremony at the, then, Charles St. Community Center.
They could only hold their graduation ceremony here, however, if the African American attendees (including graduates, teachers, and family members) went through the side door, not the front.
In protests, the seniors marched together down to Shiloh Baptist Church to hold their graduation ceremony there.
Now, exactly 70 years later, Black Lives Matter marchers in Fredericksburg followed their same trail.
Members of the original 1950 class were originally going to attend the event, but are instead watching a virtual recording of the march due to coronavirus-related concerns.
Still, family members and supporters totaling about 250 people attended the event.
“I’m out here because this is family. A lot of my family members grew up here and were graduating members of Walker Grant. My grandmother even attended Walker Grant when she was a little girl,” Delegate Joshua Cole said in an interview with Potomac Local News.
Cole led a prayer for members of the class of 2020 at the event who were invited to come dressed in their cap and gown.
“I think it’s important for them [graduates] to know their history and to be proud of their history and to know what took place here. Those civil rights acts were very civil and nonviolent,” said Xavier Richardson, a facilitator of the event who mentors students through Partnership for Academic Excellence.
Cristina Mitchell, a class of 2020 graduate from Liberty University, came to the march decked in her cap and gown.
“I’m out here to help support the Black Lives Matter movement as well as to participate in this reenactment for when seniors at Walker Grant weren’t allowed through the front door,” Mitchell said.
Shiloh Baptist Church Reverand Dr. Aaron L. Dobynes was also a speaker at the event.
“We live in a place where in just a matter of moments, your name, my name, our children’s names could be the next names on a t-shirt, and we can be preaching your loved one’s funeral, but we’re here to end all of that,” Dobynes said. “We’re sick and tired.”
Earlier in the day, a different group of protesters gathered outside of City Hall
The route they took today was much shorter and easier than the marches preceding it this past week in order to give protestors a break.
These protesters marched down William Street to Kenmore Park chanting “Black lives matter,” “say his name, George Floyd, say her name, Breonna Taylor,” and “No justice, no peace, f__k these racist-ass police.”
“You just have to continuously build endurance as you go. At this point, my feet hurt, but I don’t feel them until I get home at night. The pain goes away the second I start marching again,” said Amaya Montgomery, one of the protest organizers.
The around 115 protestors rested in the shade of Kenmore Park, marched to Hurkamp park, took another pause there, and then returned to City Hall.
“I’m just tired of seeing all the injustice that’s going on,” protestor Greg Woods said. “The only way to make change is to go out here and do it.”
The protest remained peaceful. Police cars drove past the event, monitoring protesters, but never exited their vehicles.
There were many people handing out water and food to protestors on their route.
“I’ve been walking the last couple of days. Today I’m taking a break, I’ve got some bad blisters on my feet, so I’m just going to pass out some water and snacks” said Nykia Peoples pictured right.
Peoples was among the group of protesters that got teargassed at the Sunday protests.
“I never thought I would see something like this in our little town here… I got a little bit [of teargas] on me. I inhaled it, it was hard to breathe and speak and everything,” Peoples said.
Earlier in the day, the City of Fredericksburg lifted its curfew
The 8 p.m. curfew was put in place on June 1 following Sunday’s protests and later was extended through June 8.
“The City has experienced peaceful protests for the past three nights, and there is positive momentum for continuing peaceful protest in the community. The Chief of Police concurs in this assessment, and further assesses that the termination of the curfew will reinforce the existing positive momentum. He therefore recommends that the current environment warrants the immediate termination of the curfew,” read the amendment to the emergency order.
