These Black Lives Matter protesters in southwest IL want you to hit the polls
The organizers of a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Edwardsville Saturday didn’t want another campaign for awareness or a yelling match.
With just weeks to go before an election that’s projected to have massive voter turnout, organizers wanted to gather in front of the Madison County Courthouse to show government officials and potential voters that people are still fighting and that “tangible” actions can make a difference.
Deb Lovekamp, of Collinsville, knew she wanted to involve herself in the planning of a demonstration and a colleague put her in touch with organizers Anya Covington and Ash Jenkins, both of Edwardsville, and their group, FOURward Movement.
“The focus [for the protest] is going to be on tangible things we can be doing as people,” Covington said in an interview. “ … We are beyond awareness. Awareness has come and gone. We now have the opportunity to fight the good fight the way it should be.”
FOURward Movement is a community organization that aligns itself with four tenets: service for all, human rights, educational equity and policy reform.
While part of the focus of Saturday’s protest was on getting people out to vote, Jenkins said the group was not endorsing a specific party or candidate.
“We endorse the voters,” she said. “We ask them to become knowledgeable about the ballot.”
Both in an interview and at the protest, Jenkins and Covington also emphasized the importance of local elections that “affect your day to day.”
By 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, about 30 demonstrators had shown up at the steps of the courthouse. Some brought their own signs; others rummaged through a box of homemade signs Lovekamp brought, looking for one that resonated with them.
Daily protests have continued in many American cities since George Floyd, a Black man, died in Minneapolis in May after police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
In smaller, more suburban communities — like some in the metro-east — the number of protests has gone down since the fall.
“It was ‘the cool thing’ (to show up to demonstrate in the summer),” protester Samantha Hendon, of Bethalto, said. “People don’t realize a lot of work goes into change. A lot of people don’t want to do the hard work.”
Covington, wearing a red baseball cap that read “Human,” led chants, read out signs and said a prayer. She also spoke to points of interest that fell within FOURward Movement’s four tenants, including making a plan to vote; healthcare, with a focus on mental health for racial trauma and law enforcement; improving diversity and inclusion training in schools and re-examining how American history is taught to children; and creating more affordable housing, both in Edwardsville and, more broadly, for people coming out of prison.
“We’re not just going to come read peoples’ names,” Covington said. “Those people should still be living. But to protect those who are still living, we need to have heart change and policy change.”