Photo by Erin Bloodgood
On June 2, Vivian King kneeled for nine minutes in honor of George Floyd alongside at least 50 other people in Riverwest’s Gordon Park. A long-time activist, King learned about the national Kneel for Nine event the day before it happened. She planned to participate in the peaceful action taking place around the city but wanted to do so in her own neighborhood.
She noticed there was not a Riverwest location, so she messaged the Kneel for Nine group on Facebook, asking to host a kneel in Gordon Park. Less than 24 hours before the act of solidarity, she told a few friends and published a post on Facebook. What she thought would be five friends joining in support, bloomed into a neighborhood that came together to make a statement against the injustice that happened to George Floyd.
For nine long silent minutes, people of all races kneeled in the park side by side, holding signs that read “Black Lives Matter” and “Know Justice Know Peace.” The nine minutes stretched on for what felt like an eternity, putting into perspective how long George Floyd laid on the ground, suffocating under then-Officer Derek Chauvin’s knee. The death of Floyd that was caught on video in May has fueled protests around the country and inspired a total of nine Kneel for Nine protests in Milwaukee on June 2.
King has participated in peaceful protests since she was in college, involved in the movement against apartheid. She continues to join events like this because they raise awareness and get people involved in the political system. Since she was a child, she was taught that voting is one of the most important ways to make a statement in this country, but she doesn’t see enough people exercising their right to vote. “I’m hoping these protests lead [people who don’t normally choose to vote] right to the polling places so that they can make their voices heard in this next election,” she says.
When asked if she thinks this movement for liberation will be different than other movements in the past, she says yes. “There’s this energy that I haven’t seen in a long time and this energy may turn the corner.” According to her, this younger generation has the determination to keep marching until their demands are met. Some of those demands include defunding the police and reallocating that money to programs like public housing initiatives and violence prevention programs. Social media also allows the world to see discrimination firsthand and mobilize wider support. “All of us are now seeing what black people have known and heard about and experienced all their lives,” says King. The country has seen countless videos of police violence against people of color, but it takes a continued involvement from the wider population to reallocate funding and vote for elected officials that will support underrepresented communities.
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Erin Bloodgood is a Milwaukee photographer and storyteller. Click the link to see more of her work.
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