Stand Against Hate Rally Planned For Labor Day
Two local women join forces to host 10 a.m. Sept. 4 event in Springwood Avenue Park
Two local women have joined forces to host Stand Against Hate, a Labor Day rally to be held 10 a.m. Sept. 4 in Springwood Avenue Park.
Lifelong city resident, activist and minister Nicolle Harris and Asbury Park resident Jess Alaimo, known for using comedy to organize LGBTQ and other social justice support and awareness events, are working with over 50 local groups, churches, city leaders and officials to organize the peaceful event.
Among them are Garden State Equality; the local Black Lives Matter group; Asbury Park Education Justice Collective; West Side Citizens United; Women’s March AP; Community Action Network; Triumphant Life and Second Baptist church’s; Neptune, Asbury Park and Monmouth County Democratic groups; and local veterans who have pledged to help with security, Harris said.
A group of over 40 people met Monday night to discuss the organizational aspects of the rally and to form subcommittees, comprised of a goal setting team, security, programming, and training that will help those with verbiage when speaking in defense of others, Harris said.
“I think this is important because it’s going to help us, as a community, come together,” Harris said. “And because as Jennifer Lewinski [Founding member of the local Black Lives Matter group] said, we want to make sure those trying to bring hatred know this is a place where you are not welcome. We are determined to create a community that is centered in unity and love.”
The two women sprang into action following the violence that unfolded during the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., on Aug. 12. They had been planning separate events but came together to form one unified event.
“This has been important for a long time and now it’s really at the forefront,” Alaimo said. “Now you really can’t look away from the fact that there are really hateful people in this country and right in our backyard.”
Alaimo said she was horrified by the unfolding of events at the Aug 12 Charlottesville event.
“I immediately knew I had to do something because I felt doing nothing was just as bad,” she said. “You can’t watch anymore because this is real and it’s happening in our country. The hate groups are organizing and we need to put a face to the groups that aren’t about hate but that are about acceptability and love.”
The women say this an opportunity to unite the city.
“People were able to identify that Asbury is not perfect,” Harris said of the discussions during the Monday evening meeting. “We have our flaws, we are still working toward coming together to become a unified community, but at least we are working toward being honest and honesty is the first step.”
For Alaimo the recent posting of what many are calling hate fliers along Cookman Avenue helped define the event’s importance.
“A few years ago, people wouldn’t have felt comfortable putting up those fliers in Asbury Park and today they feel comfortable doing that now and we need to respond and let them know it’s not okay,” she said. “This whole thing is about unity because we are stronger together, against hate. It’s really about bringing Asbury’s eastside and Asbury westside together.”
Community leader Dan Harris, a deacon at Second Baptist Church, said, “I thought in 1964 when Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act we were on our way to racial equality. At this point we have taken a few steps back as a country and a community. [Now] change has to start in the community and expand out into the country.”
The Stand Against Hate Rally will be held at 10 a.m. Sept 4 in Springwood Avenue Park, located between Union and Atkins avenues. The team has branded the event as a follows:
“Love is louder than hate. We want to remind the world that all are welcome in our America. This will be a peaceful, non-violent gathering that is PRO-LOVE, EQUALITY, AND FREEDOM. THIS IS AN ALL-INCLUSIVE EVENT. Please join us. NO RACISM, NO XENOPHOBIA, NO ANTI-SEMITISM, NO SEXISM, NO HOMOPHOBIA, NO TRANSPHOBIA, NOT IN OUR NAMES.”
For more information, visit their Facebook page and to contribute to the planning and organizational costs, visit their You Caring page.
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