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Over the past two weeks millions of Americans have protested in cities across the country to demand social justice and racial equality. And older Americans have been adding their voices and perspectives to those demonstrations.
For some, marching in the street is nothing new — they have attended rallies and protests for decades to bring awareness or demand change on important social issues. For others, the death of George Floyd in police custody has spurred them to action for the first time.
Either way, to hear them tell it, these new protests feel different. Here are some of their stories.
Rhonda Mathies, 69, Louisville, Kentucky, retired social worker
rhonda mathies wearing a face mask and shirt that says i cant breathe at a protest
COURTESY RHONDA MATHIES
Louisville Metro Police, Kentucky State Police and the National Guard were downtown at Sixth and Jefferson streets on May 30. They were dressed in riot gear and on horses, on foot and on the rooftops. The kids were in the middle of the street chanting “Hands up,” “I can’t breathe,” and “No justice, no peace.” Some were lying down in the street. I went over to the side to pray. I went down on my knees. A black girl, maybe in her 30s, younger than my two daughters, said, “Ma’am, get up. The police are ready to move.” I said I wasn’t getting up because I was praying, and she said, “You’ll get locked up,” and I said, “I don’t care.” But she eased me up. When I opened my eyes the police were coming straight at us. A state trooper on foot took his baton and pushed her, and when he did that, I had a flashback to Alabama in the 1960s, and I broke down and started crying.
I’ve been protesting a long time. I started in the school system seeing how black kids were being treated academically and emotionally. It was always a constant struggle. I’m tired. I’m tired for my people. I keep saying it’s up to the next generation, but knowing what my ancestors have been through, my inner being propels me back out to the streets.
In some ways, these are the best of times because we have a diversity of consciousness, but it can’t be just a moment; it’s a movement. The police are not going to magically do the right thing. Racism is still alive. It’s institutionalized.
