Make wishtv.com your home page

‘What’s next?’: Education is focus of downtown Juneteenth march

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — “What’s next?”: That’s the question circulating around Friday’s Juneteenth peace walk downtown.

The answer is education. Organizers say that’s always going to be the answer because there’s always more we can learn as humans about one another.

Education was at the forefront of Friday’s march. Minority first responders marched alongside those celebrating Juneteenth to share their experiences as other members of the Black community shared their knowledge of the holiday and Black history.

“We’re the minority, so you’re not going to just see it — we see all white history just walking down the street,” Sampson Levingston said. “We see statues and street names. But, you know, we’re the minorities so you may not see our history as often. Now with the access to all these resources and people wanting to know — we have it, we want to tell it! It’s important to tell it and share and I couldn’t be more excited!”

The crowd wasn’t just one color of people. Organizers celebrated the diversity of the demonstrators seen marching down the street saying it means the Black community is being seen by the Indianapolis community and beyond. Organizers say they’re happy with the results they’ve seen from the protests the last few weeks, but just like the question the march poses, ‘What’s next?’ organizers say there’s still work to be done.

“I do think there are issues,” Indianapolis Fire Department Capt. Corey Floyd said. “Racial equity. Making sure that racial equity is brought about for all races. But definitely for the African American community because it’s been suppressed for so long. I believe that once we have an even playing field then that takes us to liberation. To where we can express and understand each other’s differences and know that we are better all together with our differences moving forward into the future.”

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett also marched and spoke about creating systematic change in Indianapolis, Indiana and the nation.

Organizers hope the education doesn’t end with Friday’s march and people continue to have open minds.