CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The protests over the murder of George Floyd have hit streets across the nation, and in Charlotte on Sunday, those protests turned to prayer.
“But today, just being able to be in the presence of all of these people, seeing everyone come together. it extends hope," a participant said.
A group that met in Charlotte told Channel 9′s Dashawn Brown that they wanted their voices to be different. They brought together hundreds of people, and it all started with a Facebook post.
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“You look out over the crowd and you see young and old. You see black, white and yellow and brown, and that to me says that we can talk about things openly and encourage dialogue,” Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said.
There’s a lot to talk about these days, including discussion on heavy issues, such as racism and injustice.
“This is a part of a movement. We don’t plan to stop rallying for justice until it stops,” event organizer Keyona Osborne said.
Leading the conversation were Christian leaders from churches all over Charlotte. Their efforts prompted some people to listen.
“My family and I are here as a step towards that and we’re having conversations with our kids, just saying, we need to learn this together,” participant Eric Zufall said.
Among the crowd, there was perhaps the smallest vessel yielding the biggest sign of collective frustration: a sign that read “my life matters.”
“We’re walking for freedom honestly. We’re walking for justice,” participant Demetra Swanson said. “Being a father, my daughter has fears, so (I’m) trying to be bold for them in the midst of trying to be bold and strong for myself. It’s tough."
It’s not easy and it’s not over.
“It’s unfortunate we have to continue to do this. It’s just tough,” participant Tousont Simmons said.
Christian leaders said they also wanted to be visible during the crisis to demonstrate their commitment to helping in the healing process.
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