Liam HalawithMaroon Echoes News On Sunday Afternoon Maggie Fitzpatrick [2021] and her friend Emma Crull [2022] took to the Mount Pleasant town square to stand up for what they believed in.
The two were there to give their voice to the national conversation on race and police brutality. Armed with signs, the two marched around the square, waving at traffic, and showing their support. This national movement began after 46-year-old George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin. Floyd was arrested on the suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Bystanders recorded the interaction between Floyd, Chauvin, and two other officers. In the video, Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd’s neck in an effort to restrain him. In the recording, Floyd can be heard saying: “I Can’t Breath”. Fitzpatrick was hesitant at first to talk about the issue, “At first I was super nervous because I don’t want to shove my privilege on them and make their story insignificant, but then I realized that I am just trying to help and support their stories.” She organized the protest because she doesn't want things to continue the way they are. She wanted to speak out, “I just can’t let police brutality and systemic racism go on any longer.” She says her goal is to enlighten others about systematic racism, “As a white person… I recognize that I have a privilege in America that people of color do not. So I wanted to use that to educate people.” Fitzpatrick hopes that everyone reflects on their own, “Question your current beliefs, because you think you might think you're not racist, but I think there are subconscious parts of us that are racist.” Fitzpatrick believes there are many ways people can get involved in the movement. You can share it on social media, participate in the protest, and make sure you have hard conversations with the people you love. This one protest is just a small part of a nationwide movement to end police brutality and injustice towards African Americans. Maggie and Emma were not the only MPCHS students who wanted to contribute to the national conversation. On Friday, Olivia Larson [2021] hosted a protest on the Iowa Wesleyan University campus. The assembly started with a speech on the issue by the organizer Olivia Larson. They then held an 8-minute long moment of silence for George Floyd. Then the protesters took to the sidewalk to spread their message. See coverage at the Southeast Iowa Union News. This comes along with nationwide protests on police brutality and racism. These protests have shot through almost every community in the nation. In Mount Pleasant, we are seeing peaceful protests often enough for a community conversation on the issue. Follow us for more on what our students are doing about it.
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