Seneca Falls will soon join the growing ranks of small towns hosting events in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The Rally for Black Lives will take place in People’s Park on Saturday, August 8 beginning at 10:00 AM. The public is invited. Social distancing and mask-wearing will be required.
The Rally for Black Lives in Seneca Falls is part of a nationwide response to racist violence by police or vigilantes, most recently sparked by the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
“In Seneca Falls, like everywhere else, people are grieved and outraged by the killings of Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Stephon Clark, Botham Jean, Michael Brown, Corey Jackson, Trayvon Martin and so many others,” said Emmerich Hauf, one of the organizers of the rally. “We want to give people a chance to say loudly and clearly that Black Lives matter, because so often in our history down to today black lives have not been valued.”
Hauf also hopes that the rally will raise awareness of racial issues here in Seneca Falls and spark a discussion of how to improve the community. “We need to look at everything,” says Hauf, “from where we spend our tax dollars, to how we hold police accountable, to how our schools can better support black and minority students and better prepare all students to live in a diverse society. Seneca Falls has a long history of supporting women’s rights and social justice. To honor that history we must stand up for racial justice as well.”
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