By Ceoli Jacoby
The death of Minnesota resident George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department has rocked the United States to its core and once again galvanized the Black Lives Matter movement. Residents of Columbia, Maryland joined in the outrage Tuesday as thousands marched from The Mall in Columbia to the Columbia Lakefront as part of an event organized by HoCo For Justice – a self-described collective of black and brown youth in the Howard County area that seeks to denounce white supremacy.
Those whose faces are shown gave explicit permission to be featured in this photo essay.
1. A young woman rides her bicycle, which is adorned with a banner reading “Rest in Power George Floyd.”
2. A man plays the saxophone, entertaining the crowd as they assemble in the parking lot of The Mall in Columbia.
3. An organizer, marked by her red reflective vest, leads chants from the roof of a car spray painted with the message “HoCo 4 Floyd.”
4. A young boy raises his right fist – a symbol of solidarity popularized by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee during the Civil Rights movement – from the window of a car.
5. A man marches with both of his hands raised – a gesture used to show police officers that one is unarmed.
6. Two children march hand-in-hand.
7. The crowd sings “Lift Every Voice and Sing” with their right fists in the air. The song, also known as the Negro National Anthem, has been a mainstay in the world of racial justice for more than a century. It made its debut in 1900 at a segregated Florida school and then named the official song of the NAACP in 1919. The song has been invoked everywhere from Beyonce’s 2018 Coachella performance to President Barack Obama’s first inauguration.
8. Two mothers march together with a sign that reads “My Children are NOT a Threat!”
9. Two young women march with signs reading “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” – a phrase which became a mantra for the Black Lives Matter movement after the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
10. A group of supporters hand out supplies including snacks, water and hand sanitizer to protesters.
11. An elderly couple meets demonstrators at the Columbia Lakefront, the man holding a sign that reads ‘We Are all in this Together!”
12. A young woman sits on a set of stairs during the vigil for victims of police brutality. Resting on her legs is a sign that states “I Hope I Don’t Get Killed For Being Black Today.”
13. A protester wears the jersey of former NFL player Colin Kaepernick, who became a controversial public figure for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality.
14. A protester wears a name tag that reads “Hello My Name Is George Floyd.”
