In the midst of thousands and thousands of fellow citizens, the clericus of the Deanery of Waterloo joined the Black Lives Matter protest on June 3, 2020 at the gates of Victoria Park in Kitchener On.
The organizers of the protest wanted to make sure that the people who attended were safe. Bottles of water, facemask and shields were passed out. Yet the mood was not festive. The organizers wanted to stress that today was not a day to show up and take photos and post them to social media channels, but that black lives mattered yesterday, today and will matter tomorrow.
This was not a feel-good protest but had specific calls to action. So we walked, we listened and we learned. And throughout the many steps, we discovered that there is much listening that needs to be done and the learning has just begun.
Thanks to Rev. Steve Green, Trinity Green, Joshua Green, Rev. Preston Parson, Tianna Gocan, Rev. Margaret Walker, Rev. Cheryl Highmore, Brendon Bedford, Rev. Marty Levesque, Rev. Joel Kennedy Steiner and Rev. Matthew Kieswetter for the public witness of God’s solidarity with the oppressed.
Text and photos: Rev. Marty Levesque