Remembering Michael Brown

Even though hundreds of miles separate Montgomery from Ferguson Missouri, there’s still a sense of community between the two cities. A year after the death of Michael Brown, people gather in downtown Montgomery to remember and honor his death.

 

Lecia Brooks, the Director of the Civil Rights Memorial Center, says Michael Brown should not only be thought of as the symbol of a national movement. “We want people to remember that he was a child,” Brooks said. “He was someone’s child. And his humanity should be remembered as well.

 

People of all ages and racial backgrounds came to remember and honor Brown’s life.

One activist remembers the marches and protests after Brown’s death, and says the diversity is what makes the movement so strong.

 

You saw the young, the old, the white, the black, hispanic, you saw a lot of people,” the young And that shows that the need for and desire for a better humanity breaks color lines.

 

Adrienne van der Valk works with the organization Birthplace for Justice, a group of activists based in Montgomery and focused on the Black Lives Matter movement. She believes Montgomery is a key city for the movement to take place.

 

“We really felt like Montgomery, as a place that nationally has often been in the spotlight related to civil rights issues, that there really needed to be a movement here,” van der Valk said.

 

Even though the fight for Civil Rights is considered over by some, Brooks said that Brown’s death and those that followed it are signs that there’s still a lot of work to be done.

 

“It’s important for us to acknowledge that the Civil Rights movement is not over,” she said. “The march continues. There’s more for us to do.”

 

Event organizers say they are hopeful the events in Ferguson will also have an impact on how the justice system deals with crimes in Montgomery.