Protesters came out by the hundreds the evening of Aug. 10 to demonstrate by their words and actions that Black Lives Matter.
Holding signs with messages including “Will my son be next?” and “It’s not open season,” the crowd began at Westlake Center, curved through Belltown and progressed up Capitol Hill through the neighborhood where organizers believe Seattle Mayor Ed Murray lives. There, and at several other intersections along the way, marchers circled up to give participants the opportunity to address the crowd.
Speakers talked about the fear they feel when they or a loved one leaves for the day, never entirely sure if they’ll come back in one piece, and what it means to be an inclusive movement while focusing on the Black community.
“All lives won’t matter until Black lives matter,” said one speaker, repudiating the common “All Lives Matter” response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Participants were diverse, many identifying as members of other communities marching in solidarity with their Black friends and neighbors. That’s a good thing, but their support needs to be constant, said Joy Okot-Okidi.
“It feels good, but I need them to be in solidarity 365 days a year,” Okot-Okidi said.
The march took place the day after the two-year anniversary of the death of Michael Brown, a Black teenager killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown’s murder followed that of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old Floridian who died at the hands of a neighborhood vigilante. That man’s acquittal became the catalyst for the movement.
More than three years later, Black Lives Matter has become a powerful force, particularly as the deaths of unarmed Black people at the hands of police shake the country.
Although public actions keep the story in the headlines, real change comes at the ballot box and through sustained participation, said marcher Courtney Thomas.
“This fight doesn’t stop at marches,” Thomas said.