Glencoe Rallies for Racial Justice

On Sunday, June 7, 2020, the Glencoe Clergy Association, led by the Rev. Dwayne A. Gary of St. Paul AME Church, organized a peaceful protest in memory of George Floyd and countless other African Americans who have lost their lives as a result of systemic injustice. Glencoe Public Safety estimates that between 400-450 cars participated in the rally that traveled single file through the community past each of the village’s churches and synagogues and ended with a program in the parking lot of North Shore Congregation Israel (NSCI). Although residents were encouraged to stay in their vehicles to reduce any potential COVID-19 exposure, caravan members enthusiastically honked their approval to bystanders waiving signs of support for the rally. After arriving at the NSCI, the program was streamed to each participating car and to others via Facebook Live.

A Moment of Silence

Rabbi Ryan Daniels from NSCI welcomed the group and announced that the Glencoe Clergy Association members present would take a knee during an 8 minute 46 second period of silence to honor the life of George Floyd and others who have been killed at the hands of police. NSCI Cantor David Goldstein sounded the shofar to begin and end the silent protest.

“Lean on Me”

Mrs. Exeter Johansson then sang her own acapella rendition of “Lean on Me.” As her voice trembled with emotion, she told the assembled crowd to “Call on me, brother, when you need a hand. We all need somebody to lean on.” Rally participants gave sustained honks of approval.

Living and Growing Up Black in All-White Glencoe

The crowd then listened attentively to Mrs. Rocki Hunter talk about growing up as an African American in Glencoe, a village where only 1% of the population is black. She spoke of her fear when called by her husband on a Sunday night in the spring of 2017. He was driving on Sheridan Road and had done nothing wrong but was pulled over and was immediately surrounded by four other police cars. He called to tell her if he didn’t make it home, “the police did it.”

She remembered as a young girl how nervous her mother became when her brother was gone too long on an errand to Walgreens in Hubbard Woods. The relief that her mother felt when he walked through the door quickly turned to anger when she learned that he had been pulled over, detained, and harassed by law enforcement officers. His crime? Driving while black.

As a teen at New Trier High School, she remembered her excitement over an upcoming spring break adventure in Jamaica and a trip to Northbrook Court mall with friends to shop for swimsuits. After leaving one store, the girls were stopped by security and threatened as they were led back to face an employee who accused them of shoplifting because their dressing room was empty when they left. Rocki and her friends walked over to the garment rack and pointed out that the suits had been neatly returned to their proper spot. Neither the employee nor the security guard ever apologized. They just assumed the girls were thieves and that they had the right to make those assumptions because they were black.

Rocki told the assembled crowd that when she walks into a store, no one sees how many degrees she has or how hard she works or what she contributes to the community. All they see is a black woman with a black husband and black kids. In some cases, that is enough to pose a potentially deadly threat. She emphasized that she does not want sympathy or pity. Racism exists in Glencoe and everywhere else, and until we acknowledge it, speak up when it happens and stand up for systemic change, it will keep happening. It is unfortunate that so many lives have been lost before the nation has finally decided to say, “Enough is enough.” She said, “Everyone deserves to live free of fear from those who are paid to protect and serve.”

She ended her remarks by telling people they could do three things to help. First, Educate. People need to research and learn about black history and white privilege. “You cannot do better until you know better.” Second, Donate. Everyone needs to support causes that fight police brutality and work for systemic change. In Glencoe, St. Paul AME Church is a good resource. And finally, Speak Up. Talk to your children and others about racism. Report unfair and unjust treatment. A commitment to these three things will help put an end to police brutality and racial profiling. She said, “No one should feel good about living in our community until everyone feels safe and protected.” She asked people to honk if they believed in the fight for justice and change and was rewarded with sustained honks of approval from the hundreds of cars gathered in the lot.

“Just Like Job”

The Rev. Dr. Barbara Javore offered a prayer in the form of a poem from Maya Angelou’s “And Still I Rise” collection. The prayer asked the Lord to “forget me not. You said to lean on Your arm and I’m leaning. You said to trust in Your love and I’m trusting. You said to call on Your name and I’m calling. I’m stepping out on Your word … Into the alleys, into the byways, into the streets and the roads and the highways … past the liars and the cheaters and the gamblers. On Your word.”

Black Lives Matter

The final reflection at the rally was delivered by Pastor Dwayne A. Gary of St. Paul AME Church, the only Black church in Glencoe and at 135-years old, one of the oldest African American churches in the northern suburbs of Chicago. After thanking the organizers and volunteers, Pastor Gary began to educate the crowd on two different perspectives of the modern African American experience. There were those who remembered the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and those who are now experiencing the Black Lives Matter movement of the 2020s.

Two different generations who have fought the same battle. The difference, however, is that those in the Civil Rights movement did see some progress – some victory. They saw integrated schools, integrated restaurants, integrated neighborhoods, integrated bathrooms and some social and economic opportunity. Pastor Gary reminded everyone that thus far, however, the Black Lives Matter movement has seen only defeat. Unarmed Black men continued to be gunned down by police officers who face no criminal charges and are not held accountable for their actions which amount to nothing more than street lynchings. The fight is the same. There is a need to cry out and respond to the injustice.

Pastor Gary told the crowd that given the recent events, he had a lot on his mind and had started to think more like a millennial. He wondered if Black Lives Mattered when 3.9 million Blacks were enslaved in the 1800s. He wondered if Black Lives Mattered when Blacks were expected to fight during the Civil War for a country that did not even think they were human. He wondered if Black Lives Mattered when killing a Black man was a badge of honor and not an inhuman act. What about in 1955 when Emmett Till was lynched for offending a white woman and his killers were acquitted? Or in the 1960s when Dr. King and President Kennedy were assassinated? Or in the 1970s when black kids could not go on bike rides without hearing the “n word” or were not allowed to play with white kids? Or in 2011 when there were more African Americans in prison or under watch than enslaved in the U.S. in 1850. Today, African Americans are still dying by the hands of white authority. He said it was a terrifying history.

On a personal note, Pastor Gary spoke about being a Black man in his early 50s and having experienced firsthand racism in education, social situations and even in his personal life in Glencoe. When he sees the news and people talk about white supremacy today, it is not a rope but a knee on a Black man’s neck. The Black Lives Matter movement brings awareness to the fight for justice based on violence to the African American community.

Pastor Gary wanted everyone to understand that his pleas on behalf of Black Lives Matter do not mean that his white friends are less important. It means that his life is just as important as everyone elses. His values are the same as your values, but the fears that Blacks face everyday are real – even in Glencoe. He spends 99% of his time in a place that is 99% white and is often fearful of hanging out with white friends and colleagues because of what others might say or do.

Pastor Gary said, “What Black Lives Matter means to me is that I do matter. I am part of a world that cannot choose to erase me as they have fought to erase my history.” He urged everyone to push together through this life with one common goal – justice. He said it ought to be a verb instead of a noun. It is ongoing. It is work that must be done. As the late James Baldwin said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until we face it.”

Falling back on his pastoral roots, he quoted Proverbs 29:2: “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.” Pastor Gary reminded everyone that the Bible does not say Black people, White people, Asian people or LatinX people, it just says “people will mourn.” He announced that the Glencoe Clergy Association has come together with four commitments to help move toward systemic change:

1. To enter into an immediate process of anti-racism work in each congregational community
2. To engage elected officials and civic leaders in an ongoing and honest discussion on historical and current institutional failures with the expectation of achieving meaningful change and equal treatment on a systemic level for the African American community in our village
3. To push for voter registration and to get people out to vote in November
4. To redouble efforts to strengthen the bonds between community congregations through programs, gatherings, actions and meaningful dialogue.

Pastor Gary ended by reminding everyone that “these commitments are not the solution to the problems of racism in our society. They are a step in the right direction, we hope, and the beginning of a genuine, outward realization of the Biblical decree: ‘Justice, Justice, shall you pursue!’” He then led everyone in a chorus of “We Shall Overcome” and cars left with the hope that maybe this time, things can change.