Some shared incidents that had happened to family members or friends in the community, while others talked about the importance of showing solidarity.
The march started at about 5 p.m. and those that participated stayed mostly in front of the old junior high building. It remained peaceful throughout and the majority of those who participated left about an hour and a half after the march started.
A small group of counter protesters gathered across the street during the event. Some chanted “all lives matter,” while others held signs or waved flags. Some motorists yelled at the protesters as they drove by the march, while others showed support.
About an hour and a half into the event, some protesters and some of those that had gathered across the street engaged in a debate. Some that participated in the event said they felt it was important that people find common ground.
The event was organized by a group of women who live in or near St. Paris. Almost all of them are either current students or have recently graduated from Graham Local Schools.
Olivia Lawrence, one of the event’s organizers and a recent graduate of Graham High School, said the goal was to create a safe space for people to share their experiences with discrimination as well as educate those about systemic racism and the impact it has.
“We really just want this to be an open and safe space for people to come and talk. We want to get education out there about diversity because we feel we have a lack of that in St. Paris,” Lawrence added.
Amirah Etayem, who is a junior at Graham High School, told the crowd on Wednesday that “today is a fight for change and providing a safe place for everybody in this community. This change is just not for the black culture. This is for every minority group in this community.”
Elise Kemp, a 2020 graduate of Graham, said “It was shocking to see how many people from St. Paris that I have seen walking down the street show up for us.”
“I think that the focus of this at the end is the fact that so many people did come out and show support. Maybe a year from now there will be ten more people who will come. Maybe 20 more people will come the year after. It is about progress,” she added.
Members of local law enforcement as well as Ohio State Troopers were present throughout the event and its organizers said they had worked with local law enforcement to come up with a safety plan. A voter registration booth was also set up near the demonstration.
Organizers said they had been planning to hold an event in the area over the past month as protest have occurred across the country and state calling out police brutality and racial injustices.
Lawrence said they wanted to wait before announcing the event in order for it to be a small, peaceful one were people would have an opportunity to share their stories.
However, some community members were concerned that the event would not remain peaceful or attract a large number of people who don’t live in the community.
Some of the organizers were present at a town hall meeting held Tuesday evening to answer questions about the planned demonstration.
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