Hundreds kneel with fists raised in defiance outside Trump Intl Hotel in Wash DC, chanting “Black Lives Matter” #M4RJ #M4BW pic.twitter.com/eerUPVxRie
— DCMediaGroup (@DCMediaGroup) September 30, 2017
On Saturday, September 30, March for Black Women (M4BW) and the March for Racial Justice (M4RJ) took over the streets of Washington, D.C. Men and women of all races and creeds took a knee in front of DC’s Trump International Hotel and chanted “Black Lives Matter.”
The concurrent Marches were organized “to amplify the struggles of Black women. They will also demand a brand of racial justice that centers on the trauma and atrocities of all Black women’s lived experiences across generations. To date, more than 2,000 women are signed up to participate.”
On its website, March for Racial Justice cites:
For generations, we have marched, sat-in, walked-out, blocked bridges, protested, and educated our communities about issues of racial justice in a struggle to transform the policies that produce these injustices.
The growing movement against racist policing tactics and police killings has transformed the U.S. political terrain and brought much needed attention to police brutality that is endemic in the U.S. At the heart of this movement is a rallying cry for justice for the victims of this violent system that disproportionately targets Black, Brown and Indigenous peoples.
Case after case, local and federal governments, the courts, police districts, and district attorneys have failed to deliver justice. Moreover, we have witnessed a so-called “Blue Lives Matter” police backlash that aims to reinforce racist policing practices and worsen police accountability to our communities. This year alone, thirty-two “Blue Lives Matter” Bills have been proposed in fourteen states across the country, even though police already enjoy a protected class status. Even the few and recent gains that have been won are being rolled back by the Department of Justice under the leadership of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
These rollbacks are occurring while white nationalists , Nazis, and the so-called “alt-right” are openly marching, recruiting members, and terrorizing people of color,f Muslim and Jewish communities.
I love protesting with @ClinicEscort. #M4BW #M4RJ #TrustBlackWomen pic.twitter.com/7MMZy2XEbK
— Renee Bracey Sherman (@RBraceySherman) September 30, 2017
.@CharleneCac to crowd: If your liberation doesn’t include the sex worker on the street, it’s not real liberation. #M4BW #TrustBlackWomen pic.twitter.com/XCQrU3mJM7
— Renee Bracey Sherman (@RBraceySherman) September 30, 2017
The march concluded on the National Mall, between 7th and 4th Streets.
