RAYAC Sponsors Millennials of Faith Rally
By Joy Spann
On May 25, 2020 George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer. This event was the catalyst for nationwide protests against police brutality across the country. The Richard Allen Young Adult Council (RAYAC) of the Sixth Episcopal District, felt that as Christians and leaders in our community, standing in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement was necessary. Through the leadership of Janita Ferguson, Jeremy Satterwhite, and Martinique Mix, the Millennials of Faith organization was formed and its first rally was held on Saturday, June 6, 2020 in front of Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta, Georgia.
The goal of the rally was to unite faith communities in the greater Atlanta area in peaceful protest against the police brutality. We were grateful to have representatives from the following faith communities march and rally with us: All Nations Atlanta, West Mitchell CME, the Pentecostal Justice Committee, Freedom Fellowship Church, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, and Sam Jones United Method Church.
We want to thank Rev. Billy Honor, director of Loose the Chains Campaign, for his assistance in planning and organizing this event. His experience was an invaluable resource to everyone involved.
The event started with a march through the Historic Auburn Avenue District. Protestors held up signs and chanted slogans in support of the sanctity of black lives. The march came to a close in front of Big Bethel AME church where protestors kneeled for eight minutes and forty-six seconds. The act of kneeling not only paid homage to Colin Kaepernick’s chosen protest stance as the National Anthem played at the opening of various NFL games, but highlighted the length of time Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on George Floyd’s neck. This was probably one of the most powerful moments of the rally.
The Rally kicked off with Rev. CJ Holliman emceeing the event. Joy Spann gave a speech emphasizing the importance of this occasion, followed by powerful words from Rev. Gregory Eason and a song by Min. Portia Houze. Rev. Dr. Nichelle Guidry, Rev. Labryant Friend, Ryan Wilson, Rev. John Young, and Joi Stinson gave various speeches that covered not only the Christian mission when faced with adversity, but the power of the black dollar and future legislation in need of everyone’s support. The message: don’t just rally and march, vote and put pressure on our legislators to enact change. Alycia Levels-Moore led the group in an interactive closing song. Bishop Reginald T. Jackson closed out the rally with a call to action: join him on the steps of the Georgia State Capitol at 10am on Monday, June 15 to pressure the Georgia Senate to pass the Georgia Hates Crime Act.
On February 23, 2020 in Brunswick, Georgia, Ahmaud Arbery was murdered by two white men enacting what they believed to be vigilante justice against a black man they perceived to be a criminal. Arbery was simply out for a jog and the two men, Gregory and Travis McMichael, were said to have used the n-word as they cornered and then murdered Arbery. The state of Georgia is one of only 4 states without a hate crime law. Arbery’s assailants have been arrested and charged, but they will not face consequences for the very specific type of murder they carried out, one motivated by racial hatred. The passage of the Georgia Hates Crime Act will be the first step towards demonstrating that in Georgia Black lives do indeed matter.
