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Largely white audience in Salem gets the message: Act on racism

Demonstrators march through downtown Salem on Saturday, June 13, as part of the End White Silence rally. Several hundred people listened to speeches, marched to Salem City Hall, and kneeled in silence for George Floyd. (Kate McMahon/Salem Reporter)

Several hundred people – most of them white – stood for more than three hours in intermittent downpours at the Capitol Saturday to listen to black speakers at the “End White Silence.”

The rally, the latest response in Salem to the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, was billed as an educational event rather than a protest and was intended to give guidance to ending white supremacy, enacting local change and celebrating black culture. 

During the event, volunteers handed out a tip sheet on how to become an active anti-racist. It included reading lists and actions like voting, demanding the removal of school resource officers in schools, defunding the police and restructuring police union contracts.

The tips also provided businesses guidance on how to enforce zero tolerance policies on racism and other forms of discrimination.

“The door to this equality movement is open. Walk through and welcome to the newness,” said speaker Jonathan Biko Mandela Jones, owner of Epilogue Kitchen on High Street.

Wearing a black face mask for COVID-19 protection, Jones explained “end white silence” means it’s time for white people in America to commit to being actively anti-racist and it is not enough to be quietly non-racist.

“You have to denounce racism. You have to educate other people about being anti-racist,” Jones said. “It is not a black person problem. It is a white person problem and white people need to start fixing their own house.”

Jones is the son of a white mother and black father. He said the appearance of those at the Saturday rally to stand against racism was long overdue.

“Right now, it’s the Instagram activists. We don’t need that – we need this. We need this to translate to change in leadership and government and the way you vote, the way you spend your money. It all has to be rolled into this movement,” Jones said.

Defunding the police is one of the anti-racist demands Jones feels strongly about. He clarified that by “defunding,” he means separating the responsibility of police and mental health workers so that if someone with mental illness is disturbing a business like his, they can get help instead of jail.

Rally organizer Brandy Woods, who is white, stood beneath canopies heavily laden in rainwater and looked out at the crowd she brought together.

“You have to be willing to be uncomfortable. You have to be teachable, and you have to be willing to give up your seat at the table,” Woods said.

She was motivated to organize the rally after imagining her son, who is half black, in 20 years asking what she did to help dismantle systemic racism in society. She didn’t want her answer to be that she only posted memes on Facebook, she said in an interview.

So, she and her husband Ari Woods got to work. They needed only 13 days to pull the event together, making phone calls to the city, obtaining permits and figuring out details as they went. 

“My son could be Trayvon Martin. My son could be George Floyd,” Woods said. “It’s terrifying – it’s really terrifying.”

The Woods partnered with long-time friend Julianne Jackson to organize the event. She spoke with Salem Reporter before giving her speech.

“I definitely have experienced the school-to-prison pipeline,” Jackson said, referring to a national trend in which children are funneled out of public schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems. The trend is often tied to criticism that police officers in schools are biased against black and brown students. Jackson said she hasn’t gotten into any trouble as an adult, but as a kid, she experienced harsher treatment by school police officers than white kids.

She hopes Saturday’s rally provides people with new tools to work with on next steps after the marches end and the signs are down.

“There’s a difference between empathy and sympathy and that’s the biggest thing. We don’t need saviors, we need allies,” Jackson said. “I hope my biracial 14-year-old son knows that as he gets older, there’s a seat at the table for him.” 

Jackson said challenged whites in the audience not to be afraid of difficult things and to ask uncomfortable questions.

“Don’t stop because you hit a wall,” she said.

Another speaker was Shelaswau Crier of Salem, a civil rights consultant who puts on anti-racist workshops. She seized on racist views entrenched in school curricula as a problem that can be fixed by each person.

“I want you to study history. The history that is taught in most American schools is a white supremacist narrative. It is not the full history of our country. Take it upon yourselves to learn the full history of this country,” Crier told the crowd.

Crier encouraged people to educate themselves, do research, read books about anti-racism, be self-reflective and become self-aware. She recommended the book, “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo and “Lies My Teacher Told Me” by James Loewen.

Her Oregon accent belies Crier’s Louisiana roots, but she said her husband can always tell by a change in her voice if she’s talking on the phone with a relative back home. She attended Yale before moving to Oregon to teach law at Willamette University

“Be mindful of yourself. Be mindful of how your action and your inaction affects your community,” Crier said to cheers. “And quite honestly, how it affects yourself.”

Crier encouraged the crowd to participate in city council meetings, testify before legislators and work within the community to end institutional racism. Her speech concluded in crescendo when she exclaimed, “I am so excited to have so many new anti-racist activists! Thank you!”

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Throughout the rally most people in the crowd wore masks and raincoats and carried cardboard signs as they stood listening to about a dozen speakers.

At 3:45 p.m. the speeches concluded with a musical performance and the crowd set off on a march to Salem City Hall, chanting along the way. After they arrived, a moment of silence was given to George Floyd as the crowd knelt together for eight minutes and 46 seconds – the amount of time a white police officer kneeled on the black man’s neck and killed him. Salem police flanked the streets and grounds.

Then, the crowd marched back to the Capitol steps.

Ellie Nisbet stood on the sidewalk with her son in a stroller and 5-year-old daughter. She drove to Salem from Independence to observe the rally because she wanted to teach her children that black lives matter as much as theirs do.

“It’s really unfortunate. It’s sad that this is necessary – but it’s necessary,” Nisbet said.

During a brief sun break, 2-year-old Tyson Frederick could be spotted in the crowd atop his grandfather’s shoulders – a black child lifted up by a white man capturing some meaning in the words, “end white silence.” 

Ashley Mott of Monmouth holds up a sign during the End White Silence rally at the Capitol on Saturday, June 13. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Shelaswau Crier, of Salem, speaks during the End White Silence event at the Capitol on Saturday, June 13. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

A flier distributed Saturday, June 13, during the End White Silence rally advised actions people can take to learn about and overcome racism. Several hundred people attended the Salem rally. (Kate McMahon/Salem Reporter)

Demonstrators gather outside Salem City Hall on Saturday, June 13, for the End White Silence rally against racism. (Kate McMahon/Salem Reporter)

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