WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — You could hear George Floyd’s name loud in Williamsburg as the community remembered his life and echoed the call for change in his honor. They held a rally outside of the Williamsburg, James City County Courthouse on Tuesday.
“George Floyd definitely wasn’t the first,” said Williamsburg Action President Antonia Saunders. “But I remember sitting at home and that recording, that video, really struck me.”
After seeing a Minneapolis police officer take George Floyd’s life, Saunders and Johnette Gordon-Weaver started Williamsburg Action. They said injustices didn’t stop there this past year.
“I know too many names of people I should not know,” Weaver said. “I know the name of Donovon Lynch, I know the name of Ahmaud Arbery.
At the rally, friends and strangers leaned on one another. They stood side by side, shouting "Black Lives Matter" as drivers passed by the courthouse
Young voices joined the crowd.
“I am very proud, it is a pleasure to know that we can walk around, say their names, and spread awareness that they have been killed amongst society by police,” said Williamsburg resident James Carter.
It’s a sight some people have waited all their lives to see.
“I have been doing this for probably 60 years,” said Williamsburg NAACP 1st Vice President Liz Montgomery. “We definitely need to change some laws and we definitely need to be more engaged, all of us.”
The anniversary of Floyd’s death is bittersweet for Saunders. She said Williamsburg Action will make sure the community never forgets that Black Lives Matter.
“We are happy that we are still here to fight the good fight, but at the same time, we are sad that there is still a fight to fight,” Saunders said. “That we still have not achieved the equality that we want.”
There are several groups calling for change in Williamsburg. The group Williamsburg James City County Indivisible meets out front of the courthouse every Friday to keep the momentum moving forward.
Williamsburg Action is recruiting new members to help them work on that change in their city and across Hampton Roads. Check them out here.