On Saturday June 7th, hundreds from the Hastings Community gathered on Main Street with signs, all painted with different messages of support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Organized by 4 students, ranging from fourth to sixth grade, this protest was possibly one of the largest in Hastings history. T’nyas Catalan, a graduating senior, led the march down Main Street, chanting the names of those lost to police brutality, before gathering the crowd in front of the VFW. Many students from the elementary, middle, and high school spoke at the rally, including the event’s organizers. Many spoke about their horror and sadness over the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others, while others spoke about their experiences as people of color (POC). Community leaders like Niki Armacost and Mary Jane Shimsky spoke as well, pledging to prioritize issues of race and racism within our community, and calling on all of us to vote in the upcoming elections.
Ben Halperin, who spoke in the protest, said, “I say this a lot, since I’m half-white and half-Asian, but my experience would be completely different if I was black or brown in this district… I think a lot of white people would be surprised how different people of color’s lives are in this school, because I don’t think people realize just quite how difficult a lot of everyday interactions are.”
Parent Kristina Catalan spoke about a committee that she is creating called PCOC that is centered on having students of color come together to speak on shared experiences and to also try to implement ways for reform in our own community and school. She also expressed the need to move away from the “white savior mentality” in Hastings and expressed her disappointment with so many committees in Hastings being overwhelmingly occupied by white leaders, representatives, and members. She added, “They hear the issues that we’re facing right now, and they said ‘how can we fix that?’ We need families of color being comfortable with speaking up and being heard. So they can go in with complaints unified.”
Linked below are some of the speeches from the protest. Click on the underlined name if you want to access the speech!
T’nyas Catalan made a speech expressing her pain and anger surrounding police violence and the mistreatment of African-Americans all over this country. She ended her speech with a powerful call to action, urging our community to make a commitment to the cause and continue fighting for equality.
“I hate that being black is a crime
I hate the unwritten laws I have to abide by in situations that others don’t have to
Walking to get a snack and drink is a crime
Playing cops and robbers is a crime
Reaching for my drivers license when being asked is a crime”
Avanthi Chen emphasized the importance of allyship during this time, calling on her community to continue fighting for these issues even if the initial wave of support dissipates.
“Caring about the black lives matter movement can not come in waves anymore. Today you and I are making a pledge to be constant allies. We have to keep caring about black lives and we can’t stop being angry. We have to be angry and stay angry until black lives truly matter in this country.”
Mina Paz-Le Draoulec, another graduating senior, shared her negative experiences with the Hastings police, reminding our community that our community is not exempt from issues of racial profiling and police misconduct.
“These instances happened here in Hastings and they are just a few of the many terrible interactions that myself and my peers of color in Hastings have experienced. It happens in Hastings.”