Armed with signs—some recycled from January’s Women’s March, others pulled from front lawns, still others wet with fresh paint—about 75 people rallied in Cobleskill’s Centre Park Sunday in solidarity with Charlottesville, West Virginia and against racism and hatred.
Like others around the country, it was prompted by a “United the Right” rally held by white nationalists protesting the City of Charlotteville’s decision to remove a Robert E. Lee statue.
That event grew violent with one counter-protestor killed and about 20 others injured.
“People of conscience cannot sit by in silence as our country becomes more hostile to people of color,” said Theresa Heary of Middleburgh, who helped put together the loosely-organized event Cobleskill event in just a few hours.
“[This] gave people…the chance to come together to express our outrage against racism…I am so glad to have neighbors…who are willing to stand strong against injustice.”
The Cobleskill rally drew mostly honks of support from cars passing by--and one cheer of “Trump, Trump,”--as Rev. Sarah Litzner of the Zion Lutheran Church talked about the importance of standing against hate, injustice, and oppression.
“We need to speak out,” she said. “This doesn’t represent America.”
Rev. Litzner read from the words of John Pavlovitz, a pastor and blogger from California, who has also spoken out against the events in Charlottesville.
Spontaneously, the Main Street crowd took up chants of “Tell me what democracy looks like, This is what D=democracy looks like,” and then Rev. Litzner led them in verses of the Civil Rights-era anthem “We Shall Overcome.”
Susan Spivack of Cobleskill, a longtime human rights and political activist, said she was inspired by Sunday’s rally rather than discouraged by the need to keep fighting after so many years.
“This is really encouraging, the way our community is coming together today for this and in just a few hours,” she said.
Ms. Spivack helped draft Cobleskill’s anti-bias policy after racial incidents here a few years ago; volunteer John Jarvis, also at Sunday’s rally, uses that policy to train employees and said his focus is on “how to treat other people.”
Also in the crowd were members of Rural Awakening and Schoharie Blue Streak, two local organizations formed to lead positive change after what they see as division being promoted by the Trump Presidency.
Ms. Heary is one of the founders of Rural Awakening and pointed out that “vigils are only a step.
“We need to keep the political pressure on until we get the bigots out of office,” she said, “and turn our country towards justice and respect for all.”