Get Off Our Necks March In Solidarity with the Rev Al Sharpton’s March on Washington

Two score and seventeen years ago Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marched one mile to deliver his famous “I Have A Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial. As the NAACP, Rev Al Sharpton, leaders, and activists gather in DC to walk that historic path, we in Bellingham have a road to take as well. We will leave our footprint on a formerly Klan occupied space to march to the seat of some of the greatest societal injustices facing our local BIPOC community? our Whatcom County District Court and County Jail. Because if we do not understand the ripples of impact of our history, we cannot hope to change our future.

We march against the horrors of police brutality and the inequities of our criminal justice system which are a symptom of the greater disease that is racism in our society. Systemic, oppressive, insidious racism that permeates every aspect of our lives even in our corner of the Pacific Northwest. With white supremacists tagging our streets, we cannot sit idly by any longer. We must commit to the work. We must declare racism a public health crisis and act accordingly.

In Bellingham, Washington, we march so we may challenge our elected officials to reimagine public safety and eliminate racial disparities in health, educational, economic, and housing outcomes. Public safety means ensuring everyone has a safe place to call home, all children have access to a high-quality public education, all workers have rights to healthy workplaces and fair compensation, and all who live here have access to affordable healthcare. Public safety also means fulfilling our treaty obligations as interpreted by the Tribes who signed them to heal and protect our ailing environment and ensure the people who cared for this land since time immemorial flourish culturally, emotionally and economically.

Organized by Mission Accomplished? And a coalition of social justice leaders, human rights activists, BIPOC leaders and their allies, we invite all to join us for this peaceful march dressed in their Sunday-best to honor the civil rights leaders of bygone eras on August 27th. Then please join us August 28th to watch a live stream of Rev. Al Sharpton’s March of Washington.

“We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.