HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Black Lives Matter protest was held in Harrisburg Thursday but, this time it was for the youth to come out and advocate for change.
"Our children experience a lot of the things we experience, but we don't acknowledge that they also have a voice because they have to grow up in this world and inherit this earth as we leave it," said Kevin Maxson, organizer of the protest. "And if we don't prepare them and guide them constructively they will fall victim to the same cycle of chaos as we are today."
As chants of 'Black lives matter' and 'No justice, no peace' fill the streets of Harrisburg, Avalon Azaela says, "Screaming to the city is so therapeutic, it's even more therapeutic and freeing as a black person of color, we don't get to be heard a lot."
Azalea was one of the young people out marching along Front Street. She's been at all the protests held in Harrisburg, and says, as a black woman, she is tired of the injustices people of color face.
"I'm tired of black people ending up as hashtags, I'm tired of them getting gunned down on the street with no warning, I'm tired of them getting knees on their neck," said Azalea. "I'm tired of the blatant racism and oppression they face everyday."
For others, it was their first time attending a protest. Gary Pittman, of Mechanicsburg, came with his wife, daughters and two sons, after wanting to do more as a family than just watch the protests unfold on TV.
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"When they get older, especially my daughter who is only 11-years-old, [I want them to] know that I was part of it, that I didn't just witness it and talked about it," said Pittman.
As people of all races and ages continue to protest the racial injustices the black community faces, Pittman believes change will happen.
"The idea that people are coming together today and letting people know this is not just a fad on the internet," said Pittman. "This is something that's really important and an issue that needs to be fixed."
Black Lives Matter protest continue to take place across our area.