More than 1,000 people marched through Boston on Saturday afternoon to celebrate the lives of Black women and demand an end to police violence, a demonstration that took protesters from Nubian Square in Roxbury to Boston Common.
The Say Her Name March & Rally was intended to uplift Black women’s lives by sharing music, food, and the arts, and to “lament the loss and uplift all the Black womxn taken from us by state and other violences,” organizers with Black Lives Matter Boston said on Facebook, using an alternative spelling of the word “women” intended to be more inclusive.
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Women “hold up half the sky all over the world and have always been essential,” but Black womxn are too often overlooked, erased, and devalued, organizers said.
“Yet, we resist and persist in order to thrive, and [so] that all Black peoples flourish,” organizers said on Facebook.
Monica Cannon-Grant, a community organizer who helped coordinate the demonstration with a coalition of activist groups, said they wanted “to shine a light on the fact that Black women are dying at the hands of police, and were standing in solidarity.”
Saturday marked a subdued Independence Day for much of the nation due to the coronavirus. In Boston, that meant the cancellation of traditional events such as the Boston Pops concert on the Esplanade, parades, and fireworks.
Without those events , the demonstration effectively became an unofficial way to mark July Fourth in Boston, as participants demanded the nation fully respect the rights and freedom of Black women.
The choice of July Fourth to honor Black women was significant: Cannon-Grant noted that thousands of Black people remained slaves at the time the nation was founded.
“Black folks weren’t free on the Fourth of July,” she said.
A focal point of the rally in Nubian Square was a monument to Black women like Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth, who activists at the event cited as leaders who had come before those who are protesting today.
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Mawakana Onifade, a cofounder of the Sistahs of the Calabash and a representative for indigenous African religions, led the crowd in a chant to honor the ancestors of the Black community.
Onifade then read the names of Black women who were killed by violence, and protesters then called out the names of Black and Latinx people who inspired them to stand up against injustice.
“Whether they’re recently slain bodies or ancient heroes, ‘sheroes,’ or allies, you will call on those who motivated you,” she said.
On Saturday afternoon at the Justice Edward O. Gourdin Veterans’ Memorial Park, many in the crowd wore white and burned incense. Others held signs saying, “This is a revolt against racism.” Around 4 p.m. the event kicked off with a drum performance. Some in the crowd shouted out calls to action.
“What do we want? Justice!” they chanted. “When do we want it? Now!”
Before marching to Boston Common, Chief Sachem Wompimeequin Wampatuck of the Mattakeeset Tribe with the Massachusetts Indian Nation told the crowd he felt a spiritual mandate to join the protests.
Typically he is reluctant to join such events, he said, since Native people are often tokenized and remain unrecognized by the Massachusetts government.
“I’m so proud of you for stepping up and honoring your ancestors,” he said. “It makes me want to cry.”
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After watching the dance in the park, the marchers began to walk toward Boston Common. Some traveled in trucks and several people walked bikes. A marching band brought up the rear.
As they passed Boston Police headquarters, marchers yelled: “No good cops in a racist system!”
During the march, some of the participants carried signs with messages that included calls to defund police, and comparisons that tied white supremacy to terrorism.
One sign carried by a demonstrator read, “Where’s the Liberty and justice for all?”
“Black Trans Lives Matter,” read another.
At times, the crowd called out the names of Black people who have died because of police violence, including Breonna Taylor. The 26-year-old EMT was shot to death inside her Louisville home when police conducted a no-knock warrant in March.
“Say her name: Breonna Taylor,” they called out.
After the march stopped briefly in front of the Harriet Tubman House on Columbus Avenue, an organizer told the crowd: “Our breath is sacred. We will breathe.”
Abigail Feldman can be reached at abigail.feldman@globe.com. John Hilliard can be reached at john.hilliard@globe.com.
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More than 1,000 gather in Boston for celebration of Black women in march and rally - The Boston Globe
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