Several years ago our neighborhood along with surrounding neighborhoods started a age-in-place initiative called a “Village”. While I am not a true (paying) member (yet), I do receive, and occasionally read, emails from the group. I’d not read the most recent email, but, because of my BLM sign in my yard someone put a flyer in my through-door mailbox, inviting me to join a Zoom meeting to discuss racism.
I assumed it would be a one-time thing, maybe with a speaker, or maybe we’d get a list of things we could do to help stop racism, but it seems to be something that will be ongoing.
Tonight* was the meeting and it was a delight. The agenda was long and we did not get very far into it. We introduced ourselves and told the others why we were interested in the topic and set up some ground rules (rule number 1: you can talk about the BHV anti-racist group, but not about who said what). We also talked about how often to meet and when to meet next (next week, same time, same place).
One of the participants mentioned a protest planned for tomorrow in support of stopping the desecration of an historical Black cemetery in Bethesda [PDF]. I’d heard about this cemetery, but had not heard anything about it recently.
I’m planning on going. We’re to wear black and bring flowers to honor the souls buried there and being disturbed by construction of self-storage units.
*In case you have not figured it out by now, I am not actually writing these the day they happened, but am writing about delights that happened that day.
