SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Almost one hundred people gathered at the state Capitol to continue the conversation about racial injustice following the death of George Floyd.
The event was led by Protest For Change, an organization that stands for human rights, racial and environmental justice.
"Right now the focus is racial injustice and the Black Lives Matter movement,” said organizer Elizabeth Gonzalez.
Gonzalez organized Saturday’s protest and said that Independence Day does not have the same meaning for all Americans.
“When we are told to celebrate the country on this day it’s honestly incorrect. It wasn’t independence for everyone... in addition to that, to let this holiday go by without acknowledging the radical injustices that are occurring in our country would be ignorant of everything that’s happened,” Gonzalez said.
Treasure Brown,14, took the stage to speak to protesters about her own experience with race. She said she has had to work twice as hard in the classroom due to being discriminated against because of the color of her skin.
“There are so many microaggressions now. It’s not even blatant racism. It’s like the little side snippet and that’s personally what I’ve gone through,” Brown said.
Brown said she hopes one day every American can feel Independence Day is a holiday that celebrates equality for all.
“We are protesting on the Fourth of July because while everyone else is celebrating our country, we are bringing to light the fact that there are still things that need to be changed...still things that are wrong with our country...,” Brown said.
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