More than 250 gather at Whatcom courthouse after march for an end to systemic racism
More than 250 people marched to the Whatcom County Courthouse and County Jail Thursday, Aug. 27, in solidarity with the Get Off Our Necks Commitment March fighting for equality and justice in policing and the criminal justice system on Friday, Aug. 28, in Washington, D.C.
The Grand Avenue and Lottie Street intersection near Bellingham City Hall was blocked as the mostly masked and socially-distanced for COVID-19 crowd listened to speakers after the march. Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu stood nearby, watching and listening and later spoke to those in attendance saying systemic oppression and racism must end.
“When we say ‘We the people’, we the people need to work on it. ... Black lives matter is an affirmation of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) community,” Sidhu said.
A young man read a portion of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have Dream” speech.
One speaker, Nasreen Mughal-Barrows, who is a person of color who’s lived in Whatcom County since 1992 and said she is knowledgeable about the healthcare system, said that Whatcom County lacks cultural understanding and humility. Mughal-Barrows said the healthcare system has numerous barriers for people of color, including affordability, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only made things worse.
“How do you build trust on a foundation of discomfort and dismissiveness?” she said.
Carmen Ferran, who said she carries racial trauma as a person of color, said during her speech that Bellingham and Whatcom County have failed residents of color. She said she understands it takes time to undo years of systemic racism but said that racism is a public health and safety crisis that requires immediate action.
“We do not deserve to die for daring to exist. We deserve love, we deserve care, we deserve reparations. That is a fact,” Ferran said.
During the march, the crowd added the name of Jacob Blake, who was shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Sunday, Aug. 23, to its chants.
Motorists waited politely as the marchers passed on Cornwall Avenue from the Cornwall Rose Garden earlier in the day. A volunteer medic team and cyclists rode ahead to block traffic at intersections with a trailing car ensuring safety at the end of the group.
The national march is on the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where King Jr. spoke at the Lincoln Memorial.
“We will leave our footprint on a formerly Klan-occupied space to march to the seat of some of the greatest social injustices facing our local BIPOC community — our Whatcom County District Court and Whatcom County Jail. Because if we do not understand the ripples of the impact of our history, we cannot hope to change our future,” according to a statement at the event’s page on Facebook.
Organizers of the march include the Whatcom Human Rights Task Force and MissionAccomplished.
This story was originally published August 27, 2020 at 10:12 AM.
CORRECTION: Nasreen Mughal-Barrows’ residence since 1992 was corrected Aug. 29, 2020.
