AUGUST 28, 2020 – MARCH ON WASHINGTON
The powerful demonstration of remembrance by Ronald Wise. Ronald joined BWMRADIO for the March. BWMRADIO is Eternally grateful for this creation!
The powerful demonstration of remembrance by Ronald Wise. Ronald joined BWMRADIO for the March. BWMRADIO is Eternally grateful for this creation!
Source: TheBurg. Writer: Susan Ryder (August 14, 2020 article)
BWMRADIO thanks Susan Ryder for her coverage of this event and our ability to participate as a small part of moving America and its Black Lives forward. Every small part of a puzzle creates a fuller picture!
“I was devastated by George Floyd,” said Karla DeJesus.
Through her livestream radio station BWM (Because We Matter) Radio, she described why she’s hosting an event that will take two buses down to the March on Washington on Aug. 28.
“That was a real impetus,” she said. “When Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King Jr. III, made the call, at that funeral, to commemorate the 1963 march… I knew there was no way I wasn’t going to be there.”
Gathered in the DeJesus home in Susquehanna Township, surrounded by books, art pieces and ornately decorated furniture, five people talked about the march, why they are going, and what they would like to accomplish.
“It was a no brainer to get on the bus to stand up for our lives,” said Nina Butler.
For her, two incidents within a week—the New York woman who called the police on a Black man insisting that he was threatening her life when he asked her to leash her dog and the death of George Floyd—were examples of how different Black lives and white lives are in America.
The group recalled incidents of Black people being harassed by white citizens, dying in police custody, assaults by police. Because of the number, they had trouble remembering the order of incidents as they talked.
“I’m young and I’m Black, and my friends are young and Black, too,” said Dorrell Butler, Nina’s husband, as he shared his thoughts, slightly muffled through his mask, on why it’s an easy choice for him to march. “It’s not just a fear for my life, but also a fear for their lives, too.”
The room was heavy with the collective weight of their realities and the discussion of them. For Doreen Sawyers, the march is about connection. Tissues were passed as Sawyers talked about how George Floyd was a crystalizing moment, when all of her 22 years as a corrections officer, experiences of racism and family history came together, and she saw the reality clearly.
“I wanted to be with my people,” she said. “I wanted to do something, to say something.”
The group concurs that bringing a voice to the problem serves as reason to march—that simply their presence is important.
“I would like to be a representative of the support of this movement,” said José DeJesus.
But talking about the reality has not always been a part of their history. Karla DeJesus and Sawyers said that their ancestors did not share with family members the atrocities that they experienced—as slaves, during Jim Crow and beyond—as a way to protect their children from the pain and sorrow. They knew that their descendants would have plenty of sorrows themselves.
“Our ancestors’ way of protecting us was to keep quiet,” said Nina Butler. “My mother, my aunt, their way of protecting us was to learn to speak up. So, it’s that transference of energy. This march is our way of giving protection to all of our people.”
This march and this time in history exemplify a sea change for white America, an occurrence from which everything will transform, according to DeJesus.
Part of this transformation will be created by what those who participate in the march bring home with them.
“I want to bring back the energy of my people being in one collective space,” said Sawyers.
The energy in the room shifted and lifted. It’s evident what Sawyers wants to get from the march. It’s part of her journey to find out more about America’s history beyond the history books, in a more factual way.
“Change, not just change in the world but inner change,” said Nina Butler of what she wants to see accomplished from the march.
DeJesus is resolute in her desire to make this world a better place for her children and grandchildren—to leave a legacy.
Through BWM Radio, DeJesus “talks to, with, about and for the voiceless,” as well as plays music, and informs Harrisburg about issues and happenings. Leading this trip is also part of this legacy.
“America is not going to understand the depth of what Black America is going through until they see the numbers,” she said.
On Aug. 28, they will board a bus and head to a march where, 57 years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his emblematic “I Have a Dream” speech.
Less remembered from that day was Rabbi Joachim Prinz, who said, “When I was rabbi of the Jewish community in Berlin under the Hitler regime, I learned many things. The most important thing that I learned in my life and under those tragic circumstances is that bigotry and hatred are not the most urgent problems. The most urgent, the most disgraceful, the most shameful, and the most tragic problem is—silence.”
Karla DeJesus, José DeJesus, Nina Butler, Dorrell Butler and Doreen Sawyers have chosen not be part of that silence.
To participate in the March on Washington with BWM Radio, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bwm-radio-charter-2020-march-on-washington-tickets-109271839012?fbclid=IwAR2x8ID4B_Y2nBbhMwLakNaFnOCdgb_7rO5p2R_e65M_2MrzPkA1smHebgk.
Cost $47
Sponsored, free seats are available. Call 717-580-5499.
COVID-19 Kits Provided.
Masks required on the bus and in Washington, D.C.
Learn more about BWM Radio at bwmradio.com.
BWMRADIO had the pleasure of its owner to participate on this conversation. There was open dialogue and encouraging thoughts of wisdom. Take a listen.
BWMRADIO IS HOSTING A BUS TO THE August 28, 2020 MARCH ON WASHINGTON.
BWMRADIO.COM is hosting one 54 passenger bus for the March on Washington 2020 call to action on August 28, 2020. The March commemorates the 57th year anniversary of the Civil Rights March on Washington and is in continued civil protest of the death of George Floyd, and others, and in support of Black Lives Matter and the change that must occur in this nation.
Much planning is going into the event. Many precautions are being considered for safety. BWMRADIO.COM CANNOT provide guarantees against COVID-19. Everyone rides at their own risk. We will however be providing COVID-19 KITS, which consists of masks, sanitizer and gloves. We will have 50 seats available.
BWMRADIO.COM is a part of the larger group, which is expecting 100,000 to March on Washington on August 28, 2020.
We have seats that have been sponsored by private partners. Sponsored seats are for those who cannot afford to purchase a ticket. PLEASE call the station at 717-580-5499 for a sponsored seat. For those who can afford to purchase a ticket, please go to the following eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bwm-radio-charter-2020-march-on-washington-tickets-109271839012
Final cost of the trip can be found at Eventbrite and on BWM RADIO (facebook). There will be no overhead or profit made by BWMRADIO.COM. The cost of the trip will cover only incurred cost. BUSES WILL LEAVE FROM THE HARRISBURG EAST MALL at POLE 32.
Cancellations will only be honored IF the whole trip is cancelled due to circumstances beyond the control of the bus company or BWMRADIO.COM. and at this stage both entities are aware that these circumstances will come from Washington DC and the Federal Level governments.
BWMRADIO.COM welcomes those that will join us in this historic and necessary day of our time. We welcome collaborators and riders!
STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES.
Mayor Papenfuse was on MSNBC tonight talking about policy change and what the city of Harrisburg is looking to implement for systemic change in policing. For those wondering what the #8can’twait is about:
Inspired by former President Barack Obama calling upon mayors to review methods of policing, Harrisburg officials began to take a look at city policies, he said. They are using Campaign Zero’s “8 Can’t Wait” challenge as a framework.
“At the end of the conversation, there will definitely be a rewrite of the general order,” Papenfuse said.
The project looks at eight policies that local governments can adopt, claiming they may decrease police killings by 72 percent.
The eight policy recommendations include:
banning chokeholds and strangleholds
requiring de-escalation
requiring warning before shooting
requiring exhaustion of all alternatives before shooting
a duty to intervene when excessive force is being used
banning shooting at moving vehicles
requiring a use of force continuum
requiring comprehensive reporting
Papenfuse explained Harrisburg’s Police Use of Force General Order explicitly addresses seven of the eight orders. The policy that’s not in the city’s order is a duty to intervene when excessive force is being used by other officers. He mentioned it is taught in the police academy.
“We can definitely add number eight,” he said.
In addition to the city addressing the eighth policy, they are also looking to expand on and enhance the other seven. For example, the mayor said they want to require more de-escalation and warning before excessive force is used.