Berkeley Activists Host Symbolic Funeral To 'Bury Racism'
BERKELEY (KPIX 5) -- Thousands gathered in Berkeley Saturday afternoon for an unusual protest that found the crowd symbolically burying racism in a park next to Berkeley High School.
Students, young families, and activists came for a funeral to "bury racism," marching down Martin Luther King Jr. Way and holding a celebration.
They carried a coffin as part of the symbolic funeral procession.
"Our goal today was to get racial terror off our backs, name it and bury it," said Berkeley City Council member Ben Bartlett.
Silvano Rodriguez, a protestor wore his 49ers Collin Kaepernick jersey in support of the former NFL quarterback who took a knee during the playing of the National Anthem throughout the 2016-2017 season to protest what he called police brutality and systemic racism.
"If we would've listened to him back then when he spoke out in 2016, we would not be the nation that's on fire right now," said Rodriguez,
"Coming out to a protest is only the first step. Beyond that, we all need to be educating ourselves and start critically thinking about how we can make a positive change," said UC Berkeley student Derek Popple.
"It's not going to end here. It's not just a protest. It's the beginning of a movement to make systemic change from the bottom up," said Rosie Steffy.
"We have built another generation of activists who are passionate as we have witnessed over the last ten days. We are on the precipice of change," said Ramona Tascoe.
Streets were closed in parts of Berkeley around the high school, but reopened in the afternoon when the crowd dispersed. The group was vocal but peaceful.
