After weeks of protests around the D.C. region, and across the U.S., in the wake of George Floyd’s police-custody death, the Million Moe March on Friday hopes to move forward toward ending systemic racism.
“Protesting is just the first step — we need to actually have policy change and legislative change,” said Justin “Yaddiya” Johnson, founder of Long Live GoGo, a D.C.-based group with the mission “to empower, preserve and protect the true meaning of being a native Washingtonian.”
Johnson’s group is hosting its second installment of the Million Moe March, beginning Friday at 4 p.m. at Black Lives Matter Plaza. The march will end at the intersection of 14th and U streets Northwest, which was the center of the 1968 riots after the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Johnson said the march will be a peaceful demonstration to spread awareness, to help bring an end to police brutality and help underserved communities move forward.
He believes the recent protests have aroused interest in several areas.
“Our faces, standing in solidarity and uniting, says a lot about how serious we are and where we would like to go,” Johnson said. “People have been receptive, not only on the political side, but within the community as well.”
The deaths of Floyd in Minneapolis, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta and others have intensified the need for changes in policy and laws, Johnson said.
“Change needs to happen immediately, though there’s no skipping the process. In life, there’s always going to be a process to get anything accomplished,” he said.
The energy and determination for inclusivity and justice must be sustained, he added.
“This is a long run; it’s not a short race. Many movements haven’t seen results until they’ve been speaking out for 100, 200 or 300 days,” Johnson said.
