NORFOLK — What began as two friends looking to counter hate grew into much more as dozens of protesters gathered for the March for Equality event that started at the Confederate monument in downtown Norfolk Sunday evening.
About 40 peaceful protesters from the Hampton Roads area gathered to lift their voices against racism and inequality in the region.
Organizers and first-time activists Raymond Brothers and Michael Hall took to social media earlier in the week to call residents to action in response to recent events in Charlottesville that left one dead and several injured.
“We are here to promote equality and to create a community in the Hampton Roads area,” Hall said. “We want to build a community to protect the Hampton Roads area against [hate],” he added.
One of the reasons residents showed up on Sunday was to rally behind a recent decision by the Norfolk City Council to move the monument.
The council voted last Tuesday to move the monument from downtown Norfolk to the Elmwood Cemetary.
Those opposed to the removal
Those opposing the removal of the monument also attended the march on Sunday. Around five people lined up on the first step of the statue.
Jack Cornelius was among those who want to see the monument stay.
“All these people that come down here and they want to move everything, they didn’t even know it stood here,” said Jack Cornelius. “Everybody went by [in] their little daily life and never even knew it was here, and nobody ever gave a damn, not until Charlottesville.”
Mixed Crowd
At the march was 13-year-old Lyric Nason. Nason, in support of removing the statue, approached one of the members who wanted the statue to remain.
“The question I had asked them was why don’t you think this hurts people’s feelings,” Nason said. “When I went up to them, they didn’t answer my question. I don’t even know what they said. They just kept yelling.”
What’s next
Brothers said the removal of the monument is just the first step in the journey to peace.
“This is not about a monument anymore,” said Brothers. ” They can take that down, but what are we going to do after that?”
According to Brothers, his vision for the march was to create a “domino effect” that would inspire others to organize and protest inequality in their community.
“I never want to see this happen in Norfolk, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, or anywhere else,” Hall said.
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