The Long March Kick-Off in Western NC

The Long March for Unity and Justice kicked off its 10-day trek across the state Saturday in Cullowhee and Asheville, with about 150 people gathering to help build community across North Carolina.

The march is sponsored by the Beloved Community Center in Greensboro and several partners, including the NC Poor People’s Campaign.

In Cullowhee, participants gathered at Cullowhee Baptist church for lunch and a rally.  Jan Landers came from Wilmington, the final stop of the Long March on Sunday (Sept. 29).

“We were going camping here in the mountains, so I decided to book-end the march and attend both the first and last days,” Landers said.

Rayanna Briggs, also from Wilmington, planned to stay with the march for its entire length, spreading the word through her online social media platforms.

Brigette Raspberry, of the Beloved Community Center told the gathering of about 60 people, “We’re uniting for change. This is bigger than any one organization or any one issue…This is about what we can be.”

In Asheville, participants gathered at the Edington Center on Livingston Street and marched about 1.5 miles to the historic YMI Cultural Center, stopping along the way at Delta House and the United Way building to hear from some of the city’s activist and advocacy organizations.

At the YMI Center, participants heard from community activists, including Whitley English, a survivor of domestic partner violence, who spoke about the hurdles that she has had to surmount to get the help she needs to keep her safe.

“It shouldn’t be this hard,” she said, holding the tooth her former partner knocked out when he beat her.

Tiffany DeBellott, executive director of the Center for Participatory Change in Asheville and a primary organizer of the event in Asheville expressed delight at the size of the gathering – more than one hundred, ninety-one of whom walked the 1.5 miles.

“We’re usually having to be reactive, responding to events as they happen,” she said. “But today we got to be proactive, and the Spirit was in the house!”

 –Leslie Boyd, co-chair, Western Circle, NCPPC

Gathering at Cullowhee Baptist Church for the first leg of the Long March.

Rayana Briggs of Wilmington dances while waiting for lunch to be served in Cullowhee Baptist Church. 

Marchers start the 1.5 mile walk in Asheville. More than 100 people attended the event, and 91 of them walked from the Edington Center to the YMI Cultural Center.

Adama Dembele plays drums at the YMI Cultural Center in Asheville.

 

Activist and domestic partner abuse survivor Whitley English spoke about the need for help for women trying to escape violence.