Braving the rain, threats of violence and uncertainty over police permits, dozens of civil rights activists set out on the sixth day of their 118-mile trek from Charlottesville, Virginia, to Washington, D.C., on Saturday to protest the white supremacist ideas that inspired deadly violence in Charlottesville a few weeks ago.
The 10-day journey, which organizers from progressive and faith organizations are calling a “March to Confront White Supremacy,” began on Monday with a rally in Charlottesville’s Emancipation Park and is due to conclude this coming Wednesday with nonviolent civil disobedience in the nation’s capital.
With an escort from the Virginia State Police and Virginia Department of Transportation, the rain-gear-clad marchers spent Saturday walking 13 miles along Route 29 from Remington to Warrenton ― all while waving placards with messages like “Black Lives Matter” and singing racial justice-themed songs. Participation in the march varies from one day to the next, but organizers estimated that there were 80 people marching on Saturday. More…