Worcester Stands With Trayvon Martin Movement Gains Momentum
Thursday, July 18, 2013
To see a slideshow from a candlelit demonstration on Monday night for Trayvon Martin, go here.
Williams implored a call to action on the Facebook event page for the rally held at the Federal Courthouse in downtown Worcester, writing, “we cannot accept a violent and racist country where our young black and brown men can be hunted down in our communities with impunity.” He added, “our voices are powerful and we must raise them louder than ever. Bring signs, bring cameras, and invite all of your friends.”
In an interview with GoLocal, Williams explained that he was first motivated to organize the rally by “sadness for the family of Trayvon and anger towards a justice system that was created to protect us all against the Zimmermans of this world.” His hope was that the rally would “serve as a spiritual awakening for not only black folks but all of us.”
Local politicians attend
The Worcester Stands with Trayvon Martin Rally commenced with several speakers who echoed Williams’ sentiments. First to make a speech was Mesfin H. Beshir, an at-large candidate for Worcester City Council. He provided a historical perspective on the issues surrounding the Martin case, and declared that “we have to come together; we have to unite.” Beshir was followed by Khyrstian King, who is running for State Representative in Worcester’s 16th district and who hopes to make a significant impact on gun control laws in order to stem gun violence. He urged the crowd to speak up in solidarity, saying “this is our America; you have a voice–be heard.”
"An injustice for all"
Growing up, Corazzini was often counseled by family members on “what to do and what not to do” to avoid harassment and deal with racial discrimination. He recalled that one strategy his uncle taught him was “to walk away, and if you can, run.” But he added, “we just found out that that’s not an option anymore, cause what if you get chased? America just told us that your only option is to stay there, not defend yourself, or not be there at all.” Corazzini described this phenomenon as a burden he was willing to carry for the rest of his life, but said, “the piece that I can’t live with...is the fact that, regardless of whatever I do, however I educate my kids, this is a disease that they’re going to inherit from me, that I can’t stop.”
With tears in her eyes, Isabel Gonzalez insisted that this was not Corazzini’s “disease,” but rather a result of white supremacy, the same mentality that Zimmerman harbored according to demonstrators across the country. For Gonzalez, “that’s why George Zimmerman, although he might be half Latino, saw Trayvon Martin through the eyes of a white man. He acted through the lens of white supremacy, so that’s why Trayvon’s dead.” She conveyed a “need to call on our allies,” with an emphasis on white allies, to “end institutional white supremacy.” Community activists Margot Barnet and Parlee Jones agreed with Gonzalez, and expressed the hope that people everywhere would be able to unite in the same way that they had at this particular rally.
Following the rally speakers, candles were passed out and the protestors began their march from the courthouse plaza to City Hall, holding signs along the way. They chanted as they walked, saying “no justice, no peace,” which drew some people from the Worcester Common into the group as they filed through the park. Eventually, as the crowd came to a halt behind City Hall, organizer Todd Williams personally thanked each protestor for attending the rally. Williams left them with his final words on Trayvon Martin, and on the racial and social injustices that have happened right in Worcester as well as across the U.S., concluding, “enough is enough.”
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