Students at two Owensboro schools are sponsoring a ‘March for Justice’ on Saturday, in an effort to encourage unity after the deaths of several Black Americans by police.
The Sept. 12 march is a collaborative project of the Black Student Unions at Brescia Universityand Kentucky Wesleyan College.
Brescia University Assistant Dean for Student Activities and Leadership Development, Patricia Lovett, said there’s been planning with administrators from both colleges and the police to make sure it’s a safe event.
“A lot of our students are from the Louisville area and they’re familiar with the Breonna Taylor incident. They’re still kind of hurting and very upset and I think they just want to bring awareness to the community and show their support and solidarity," said Lovett.
Breonna Taylor was a 26-year-old African-American emergency medical technician who was fatally shot by police, who entered with a no-knock warrantwhile she slept in her Louisville apartment. Her killing has sparked demonstrations and protestsacross the nation.
Lovett said students also planned the Owensboro march in response to other violence against Black Americans, including the recent shooting of Jacob Blake. He is a 29-year-old African-American man who was shot in the back by police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and is paralyzed from the waist down.
"It's not placing blame on anyone, but wanting everyone to celebrate our diversity and bring awareness to how the people in the Black community are hurting, continuing to see these instances of social injustice," said Lovett. "And so, at Brescia we want to support our students in this process, but we want to make sure they do it in a safe way. It’s going to be a peaceful march."
The march begins at Brescia University at 10 a.m., will head to the Owensboro courthouse, and then conclude at Kentucky Wesleyan College.
Some faculty and staff from the two colleges are expecected to join the march and the public is invited to participate. Masks should be worn and will be available to anyone who needs one.
