An Ongoing Racial Reckoning
Sharpton wasn’t the only Black pastor at the courthouse Thursday. The Rev. William Barber, a civil rights activist from North Carolina, also spoke in support of the Arbery family. What happened to “Ahmaud is not just murder, it’s an act of terrorism,” says Barber. “America, you’re gonna have to come to understand that this kind of terrorism and murder is not just dangerous to Black people; it’s dangerous to the entire country.”
Barber says he and other members of the Black community are present “because we serve a God,” and they won’t stop until justice is done. “America, this is another checkpoint for you,” says Barber. “Get it right for this family.”
Ben Crump, also a lawyer for the Arbery family, says he believes that justice in this case and “a more just America” are possible. “What happens here…is going to be a proclamation not only to Georgia, not only to America, but to the world how far we have come to get equal justice in America for marginalized Black people.” Crump, who also represented the George Floyd family in Minneapolis, adds that “people who look like Ahmaud Arbery” should be able to “run free and not be lynched.”
On Friday, Crump tweeted, “It is not illegal for Black pastors to support the parents of Ahmaud Arbery or any other Black victims. We are going to bring 100 Black pastors to pray with the family next week.”
