Local grad hosts peace march in Richmond
Nearly 150 people turn out for event
Opening some eyes, changing some hearts and possibly even educating a few people.
Those were the goals behind a recent “Unity March Against Racism” organized by 19-year-old Haley Fortuna in Richmond.
A 2018 graduate of Richmond High School, Fortuna is a political science major at the University of California, Berkeley, but returned to her hometown for the summer.
She said everything taking place across the country related to the Black Lives Matter movement prompted her desire to show support for the issue.
“I was a bit alarmed that the Richmond Police Department hadn’t released a statement condoning the actions and the City of Richmond hadn’t either,” Fortuna said. “Even in our predominantly white town there should be a statement made that this is not acceptable here.”
After viewing numerous social media posts from fellow college students that supported her idea for a march, Fortuna began to plan the event.
“They all said yes this is something that needs to be addressed because diversity is something that’s not really talked about and racism isn’t an issue that’s talked about here,” Fortuna said.
Fortuna contacted Richmond City Manager Jon Moore and the Richmond Police Department hoping to have a partnership with them in planning the event. She met with Moore and Richmond City Council members Jaime Elizabeth Greene and Emily Allen.
“The council members said they didn’t want to do a partnership because council members are supposed to be non-partisan but they would help me to make the event as big as possible,” Fortuna said.
The march began in the parking lot at Richmond High School, off Division Road, at 6 p.m. on June 17 and preceding down the road to the city offices. The police department closed Division Road for a short time to allow the marchers, who were carrying homemade
signs, to make their way to the city offices. Fortuna estimates there were about 150 people in attendance.
“Having it go from the school to the city offices provided some good symbolism for me,” Fortuna said. “And I was really impressed by the diversity of the ages present; students, parents, grandparents and even families with toddlers.”
She invited a number of local politicians to attend and speak at the conclusion of the march but was unable to fit the event onto anyone’s calendar.
“Systemic change is needed so I wanted people in power to come because that’s where it starts,” Fortuna said, adding that instead she and several other students read statements written by leaders in the
Black Lives Matter community.
“I really wanted it to be a march about unity with the basic message being antiracism and our need to get behind that message,” Fortuna said.
While there were no city officials in attendance at the march, Fortuna said her mom, Richmond School board member Sandra Fortuna was there along with Board of Education President Margaret Teltow. Richmond Community Schools Superintendent Brian Walmsley approved the use of the school parking lot for the start of the march and was at city hall to hear the speeches when it concluded.
“I’m proud of Haley. This is a topic where conceptually the thinking is that all people being treated fairly is the right course of action,” Walmsley said. “The basic premise that all people should be treated fairly is something we should all always strive for.”
The march wasn’t the first diversity issue Fortuna has brought to the city. In early June she addressed members of the Richmond Community Schools Board of Education about the need to add diversity to their curriculum.
Teltow addressed that at a June 22 meeting, referencing Fortuna’s previous appearance before the board and clarifying that the recent march was a separate issue.
“I just want to let everyone out in the viewing public know that Haley had a peaceful protest last week through town and there was a little bit of a misconception that that was being held because she came to the board of education asked us to change our curriculum and we ignored her request,” Teltow said. “Haley coming to the board of education making her statement had nothing to do with the peaceful protest she put on in town last week.”
Teltow said she has since spoken to Fortuna and Superintendent Brian Walmsley planned to meet with her too.
“Haley, thank you for your thoughts and we wish you well,” Teltow said.
Fortuna agreed the issues were two separate things and she has a meeting set with Walmsley in the near future.
“I was pretty happy with how the march turned out. It was a good turnout for a small town,” Fortuna said.