Thousands March for Racial Justice and Black Women in D.C.

On Sept. 30 thousands gathered in various cities to peacefully march for racial justice and for black women. The largest crowd convened in Washington D.C. in a march that took a year to plan. The date itself – Sept. 30 – also had major significance. It was on this day, 98 years ago that the Elaine Massacre took place in Elaine, Arkansas, in which an estimated that 100-240 black Americans were massacred after the men tried to organize “the Progressive Farmers and Household Union of America to demand better pay from white plantation owners.”

Organizers of the march state that their “mission is to harness the national unrest and dissatisfaction with racial injustice into a national mobilization that strengthens local and nationwide efforts for racial equity and justice. We are mobilizing a coalition of organizations, groups and individuals to stand together for racial justice, and call out white supremacy and its interlocking oppressions along gender, class, sexuality, ability, religion and immigration status.”

https://twitter.com/B_RadWill/status/914182361515950080

“The reality is that these are everyday occurrences,” Dorcas Davis, an organizer of the March for Racial Justice, said according to The Washington Post. “Charlottesville was horrific, but it’s not every day like that in Charlottesville. But for people of color, it’s like this every day.”

Farah Tanis, executive director of Black Women’s Blue Print and organizer of the March for Black Women, told The Washington Post that she was disappointed that Donald Trump had been elected to be president and that women had voted for him, while 95 percent of black women had voted for Hillary Clinton.

“After the election, black women were disappointed with our white sisters. More than 50 percent of white women voted for Trump,” Tanis said to the Post “Black women went out, and we voted our hearts and our conscience out at the election.”

Below are more images of the stunning turnout in D.C.

Marches for Black Women & Racial Justice = HUGE. Stretching for blocks & blocks through Capitol Hill in DC. #MarchForBlackWomen #M4BW #M4RJ pic.twitter.com/gqxWMLzOHe

— Collin Rees (@collinrees) September 30, 2017

https://twitter.com/JessicaLBYRD/status/914154453846151171

Always remember to incorporate @Beyonce when we speaking of intersectional feminism. #TrustBlackWomen #M4BW (@RBraceySherman did this!). pic.twitter.com/pTqT8YsEEZ

— Preston Mitchum (@PrestonMitchum) September 30, 2017