The power of Black Lives Matter in white neighborhoods
Last week I attended two local rallies in the name of Black Lives Matter—one on Tuesday at Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village and one on Sunday at Grover Cleveland Park in my neighborhood of Ridgewood. Both in Queens, and both a world away from the larger rallies you’ve been seeing on TV.
Unlike most of New York City, Middle Village is one of the few neighborhoods that voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 elections. It’s a white, upper-middle-class neighborhood whose location just beyond the end of the subway gives it a suburbia-inside-of-the-City sort of feel. The rally there, organized by two moms, was presented as a family-oriented march around the park and the turnout was largely representative of the neighborhood: white families.
Ridgewood, though much more diverse, is still a neighborhood with Eastern European roots whose political landscape is divided by “which side of Forest Ave. you live on.” This march was organized by the strongly coordinated Ridgewood Tenants Union, so the turnout was much larger and culturally inclusive.
Both were beautiful representations of the ripple effect the Black Lives Matter movement has had in reaching neighborhoods that have yet to reckon with their own systemic racism. And both are strong reminders of how powerful the movement is when it forces white neighborhoods to face that uncomfortable truth head-on.
The giant marches in Brooklyn (or Seattle or Los Angeles or Atlanta, etc.) are often shown accompanied by large swaths of supporters—whether from storefronts or in cars or on bikes—cheering the marchers on. In Middle Village we were surrounded by circling biker gangs and monster-trucks decked out in desecrated American flags. A few passing cars did offer their support, but they were in the minority—maybe one for every ten that passed.
This was a family-friendly march mind you, where young children were encouraged to speak and show off their signs before the march began. But soon after we started our two-mile-long walk around the park, we were pelted with raspy, smoke-tinged cries of “All Lives Matter!” and “God Bless The NYPD!” As if portraying a stereotype, the largely unmasked antagonists murmured slogans filled with words like “liberal” and “CNN” and “I would start something if Anthony was here to have my back”. The last of which was uttered by the head of a family—all unmasked—with two children in tow including a boy, maybe 12-years-old, who then proceeded to flip-off the group of protesters largely comprised of kids around his same age.
This might sound anecdotal, but it resonates with the larger point of why marches in neighborhoods like Middle Village are so important. That young boy will inevitably look up to his father who spouts the same hatred our “President” does, but maybe if he sees hundreds of people — including friends and classmates — countering the hateful rhetoric with unconditional love for others, it could have an impact that child will take with them the rest of their life. Of course, this might be wishful thinking, but it serves to note that loud, anti-racist counter language is needed as much, if not more, in the white enclaves of the City.
The march in Ridgewood was noticeably larger, and the onlookers much more supportive. That didn’t stop it from being a teaching moment for the many who just happened to be in the park on that Sunday. From the family-friendly area I watched with my 2.5-year-old daughter as speakers and activists gave their speeches to the appreciative crowd. Outside of that crowd were children playing and parents watching, whose necks craned every time a roar emanated from the mass of people. A mass that was incredibly well-organized.
I think it’s important I take a few sentences to recognize the incredible work of the Ridgewood Tenants Union, which has used it’s organizational power to also act as Ridgewood’s mutual aid network to provide assistance to families impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. This group, largely comprised of first-generation immigrants and woman of color, has been more responsible for the health and well-being of Ridgewood and neighboring Bushwick communities during these turbulent times than our elected officials have. Outside of delivering groceries and supplies to the many residents who have been left out of the racist, anti-immigrant Covid-19 “relief” payments, RMAN are providing much-needed legal and tenant rights advice to our community-members facing the impending eviction crisis.
They’ve also been an instrumental organizing tool for volunteers — which now number in the multiple-hundreds. These same volunteers provided safety and assistance during the march — wearing brightly colored vests and directing the marchers as volunteers on bikes directed traffic and made sure vehicles didn’t break the parade of people. It was an extremely well-concerted effort that mirrors what they’ve been doing throughout the community for months now. On a personal level, the Ridgewood Mutual Aid Network has been one of the constants that has helped keep me grounded through all the emotional highs and lows. What they, and every mutual aid network does, is so incredibly important. If you live in Ridgewood or Bushwick (and are able to), I encourage you donate to their cause. And I strongly encourage everyone to look for a mutual aid network in their neighborhood and reach out. You can view a directory of NYC-wide networks here.
The Ridgewood march’s planned path was to a vigil outside of the 104th NYPD Precinct, after which — and maybe recognizing the need to reach a less-diverse audience — they continued on to Juniper Valley and eventually Councilman Robert Holden’s house in Middle Village.
After the vigil it was nearing my daughter’s bedtime, so I made the parental decision to head back home. Along the way she continued the chant that she heard repeated throughout the afternoon. Like much of her early learning experiences at this young age, repetition is instrumental to absorbing information.
And there are few lessons more important than learning that — now in her own words — BLACK LIVES MATTER.
