LYNCHBURG, Va. – At the corner of Wards and Wards Ferry Road in Lynchburg, protesters screamed loud and clear with a message. This is the third night groups have protested in the Hill City. Sunday and Monday groups gathered in parts of the city where the protest turned violent.
With signs in hand on Tuesday, protester Kylah Kemper Clator and several others wanted Liberty University to know they don’t agree with a recent tweet by the school’s president, Jerry Falwell Jr.
Falwell said he would only wear a mask if it was adorned with the controversial blackface photo from Governor Ralph Northam’s medical school yearbook page.
“Falwell thought it was OK to post a mask with blackface on it. If he didn’t want to wear a mask, he could’ve just said that,” Clator said.
The cause grew bigger to also show concern in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in Minnesota.
Liberty University officers came down to join some of the protesters, express empathy and even pray with them.
Once night fell, the group took their fight up the road to Campbell County where there was no curfew. The group marched up and down Route 29 until they found a central place to stay.
Marquie Scott let the group gather on his lawn.
“This is actually our free rights. This is what we should be able to do as Americans out here. There’s absolutely nothing wrong. I have children, interracial kids myself. I stand up for all of this,” Scott said.
The group called it a night with plans to continue the cause another day.
“We gotta continue to be heard. We can’t expect any changes we talk about it for a little bit. We got to keep being heard we got to keep going,” Clator said.
Lynchburg police reopened Wards Road after several hours.