Demonstrators attending the vigil on June 5th on 16th Street NW

Numerous churches and local organizations participated in a vigil on Friday, June 5th along 16th Street. Inviting community members of all (or no) faiths to join, churches along the street hosted people along the sidewalks from 5 - 6pm to show support against racism. Bells were rung at 5:45pm for eight minutes, 46 seconds… the length of time that George Floyd had a police officer’s knee on his neck, leading to his murder.

The vigil was highly attended up and down 16th Street, and the organizers will be continuing the vigils each Friday of June, from 5-6pm.

Organizer Rev. Rob Keithan, the Minister for Social Justice at All Souls Church Unitarian, recommends residents gather on any available street if they can’t make it to 16th Street. In his neighborhood of Brookland, he’s suggesting people come out to Michigan Avenue.

DC VIGILS AGAINST RACISM

On 16th Street NW and Elsewhere!

BLACK LIVES MATTER TO [GOD AND TO] US!

Every Friday in June from 5 – 6 p.m.

The response to our vigil against racism on Friday, June 5, was so strong and positive that we have decided to do vigils every week for the month of June! The goal is to bring people together (safely!) from various congregations, organizations, and neighborhoods to take a public action against racism and police violence. This is our public, prayerful, meditative response to the murder of George Floyd (and far too many more), as well as our way of being in solidarity with the people protesting in downtown DC and across the country.

We invite people from all religious communities—and our neighbors—to join us in bearing witness to the love that grounds us as people of faith and good will. The plan is to cover as much of 16th NW as possible, although everyone is welcome to hold vigil on major streets in their own neighborhood (if you’re doing one in your neighborhood, let us know and we’ll list it below). Please wear masks and stay 6 feet apart. If your intended location is taken, simply move to an open area. Please bring a sign. These vigils are rain or shine. Please stay out of the roads and do not block the sidewalks (both of which will attract police attention). And please show respect to all other people, regardless of their perspective, and avoid confrontation and violence.

This is a decentralized action. There is no program other than 45 minutes of public vigil and then silent witness starting at 5:45 when participating institutions toll their bells for 8 minutes and 46 seconds—the amount of time the officer’s knee was on George Floyd’s neck. If you are not near a bell tolling, you can go to the All Souls Church website for an audio file of the bell tolling (recorded at a vigil June 2), or simply use a timer and be silent. At the end of 8:46, we invite you to pray or meditate, either silently or out loud, on your commitment to ending racism.

RSVP via Facebook or Google Form to get updates on plans and resources. If you’re adding your organization as a participant, please email Rev. Rob Keithan at All Souls Church Unitarian.

#WeCantBreathe #BlackLivesMatter

Full details, including participating organizations, are available online.