17WEEKS LATER, YELLOW SPRINGS STILL PROTESTS

Villagers hold aweekly Black Lives Matter rally, aim to affect change.

While the YELLOW SPRINGS — number of Black Lives Matter protests has declined in the 17 weeks since the death of George Floyd ignited an international movement, some communities are still demonstrating regularly.

Over 70 people gathered on Saturday morning on the lawn in front of Mills Lawn Elementary School in Yellow Springs. Villagers have been gathering like this everySaturdaysincethefirstweekend after Floyd was killed. They listened to a handful of speakers discuss thisweek’s topic: LGBTQ+ issues. Then, the group took over the streets of the village, disrupting traffic for a short period of time.

They marched to where a recently erected Black Lives Matter banner hangs over U.S. Route 68 on the north side of the village. There, the demonstrators sat or stood on the road in silence for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the approximate length of time a MinneapolisPoliceofficerkneeled on Floyd’s neck.

Bomani Moyenda, one of the group organizers, said theywant to affect lasting change.

“We’re not just making noise,” he said. “We’re trying to figure out how to influence or create policy resulting in lasting change.”

Organizers with YS Speaking Up for Justice, an informal citizens group that grew out of a Facebook page with the same name, said their original list of demands have largely been met or are being addressed by the village council and the village school board. Those demands included addressing exclusionary curriculum in the village schools.

A young group of high school age organizers Moyenda affectionately calls the “anti-racism

wrecking crew” said they are interested in setting new goals and forming newinitiatives in their village and the largercommunity ofGreene County.

“We’re really just trying to raise awareness,” said Sayre Hudson. “Also, [wewant to] create a safe space, a place that feeds people’s souls in this community, a place where people of color can come or LGBT+ people can comeandfeel supportedand safe and uplifted.”

The group also focuses on providing education through itsweekly rallies. Attendees Saturday heard speakers talk

about their experiences at the intersection of race and LGBTQ+ identities. Previous rally topics have included

antiracismineducation, protesters’ rights, Black history and voter information. The last week of every month is

an open mic atwhich attendees can speak about what they’ve done recently to be anti-racist.

AtaweeklyBlackLivesMatter protest inYellowSpringsonSaturday, demonstratorsmarched downtown, blocking traffic. Marchers shouted the names of Black people killed by police officers and chanted things like, “when Black lives are under attack, what dowe do? Stand up, fight back.”

AtaBlackLivesMatter rallyonSaturday, protestersblockedtrafficonU. S. Route68in downtown YellowSprings for eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence, the approximate time aMinneapolis Police officer kneeled on George Floyd’s neck.