Two weeks ago, two candlelight vigils were conducted in Greenbelt, one at Roosevelt Center and the other in Greenbelt East on the corner of Hanover Parkway and Ora Glen Drive. The vigils were organized as a part of the current national discussion of community policing and justice for people of color. As with many of the national protests and demonstrations, the Saturday night candlelight vigil in Greenbelt East continues to be held and will be observed for the third time this Saturday, June 20, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Organizer LaWann Stribling said that she is continuing to organize the vigil “prayerfully every Saturday until I feel as though we’ve reached the community.” Acknowledging the challenge of putting together public meetings during a pandemic, Stribling added, “I know it’s difficult due to COVID-19 yet it’s important to me to help our community to understand how government works and for people of color and those suffering from poverty and even those working paycheck to paycheck that we can be the force to effectively enact permanent change.” Stribling reminds participants to wear masks and practice social distancing at the vigil.
Stribling said that attendance at the gatherings varies from 20 to 30 people. She said that sometimes a few people make brief comments to the group. At the vigil held last Saturday, Stribling, Mayor Colin Byrd and Ace Kelsye, a singer who performed a few songs for the group, all made brief remarks.
Stribling told the group last week that it would be good to “hear from our community how they would like to express themselves through music, art, dance and spoken word,” adding that “art can bring all types of people together,” something she was hoping the weekly vigils would do.
Stribling calls the events Peaceful Candlelight Vigil Protests and hopes that they become opportunities not only for reflection but also impetus for social change.
Along with the vigil, two celebrations of Juneteenth will be held in Greenbelt. One is scheduled for Friday, June 19 at 7 p.m., to be held on the Spellman Overpass spanning the Baltimore Washington Parkway. The other Juneteenth event, called the Greenbelt Juneteenth Emancipation Celebration, will be held on Saturday, June 20 at 7 p.m. This event will take place outside the Community Clinic, 9220 Springhill Lane, and is sponsored by the Greenbelt Black History Committee and the Franklin Park Community Pride Committee. According to Wikipedia, Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day and Cel-Liberation Day, is celebrated annually on June 19 and commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union general Gordon Granger read orders in Galveston, Texas, that all previously enslaved people in Texas were free.
