Overcast skies and the threat of rain did not stop Greater Williamsburg residents from rallying together for a vision of a better America Monday evening.
More than 200 people rallied for peace, love and unity just outside the Capitol building in Colonial Williamsburg to commemorate the 54th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream…” speech.
Organizers Rev. Corwin Hammond and John Whitley said they wanted to bring residents closer together — something both men have spent a lifetime doing.
Fifty-four years ago, Whitley hopped into a friend’s Volkswagen Beetle and drove to Washington D.C. to see King speak on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. After that day, he committed himself to fighting for equality, he said.
More recently, Hammond along with other community leaders signed a community covenant — a document which called for a more comprehensive approach to community policing in Greater Williamsburg.
“What we’re doing today is strictly a show of peace, love, and unity,” Hammond said. “We’re not doing anything political. We’re not looking to have any of our speakers try to be controversial. This is a continuation of the community covenant that we signed back in May.”
James Jordan, a member of First Baptist Church, said he hopes younger folks will take up the fight for justice because it’s the youth’s future at stake.
“I’m too old for it to do something for me,” Jordan said.
Angel Washington, an assistant principal in the Williamsburg-James City County school system, said she wants her daughter, 3-year-old Gabrielle, to grow up in a better world.
She said she’s concerned when the history books are written about today’s events, future generations will ask, “What did we do for peace and love?”
