Pelham, NY, June 13, 2020, Pelham United packed a local park with over 500 residents under the banner of Black Lives Matter. The recently formed group of young Black residents staged an event which doubled as both a peaceful protest and a cathartic airing of racial dirty laundry in this small, affluent New York suburb.
Among the speakers were numerous college students, and several parents of school-age children in the Pelham public schools. The recurring themes were too familiar – pervasive racism in every corner of daily life. In the public schools, walking down the street, in experiences with police, in Town Hall, the speakers shared their direct experiences and implored the white people in attendance to search their own souls for answers.