'Learning to live together'

The crowd kneels for eight minutes at a vigil on Sunday in Woodstock, Vermont, in honor of George Floyd. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

“We’re learning to live together.” That message was sung and spoken during a vigil today in Woodstock, Vermont, where over 100 people, including religious leaders and local officials, gathered to remember George Floyd, oppose hate and look toward a united future. 

An inspiring scene took place near the end of the event, when the crowd took a knee for eight minutes in honor of Floyd, a black man who died under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer who arrested him almost two weeks ago. Since his death, over 700 cities and towns across the U.S. have seen protests and vigils as millions speak out against racism and demand change.

The Woodstock event came one day after a rally drew hundreds of people to nearby South Royalton, Vermont, where attendees in unison spoke the names of 206 black people who have died at the hands of police in recent years. At Sunday’s vigil, the crowd together spoke the names of Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Nina Pop and Tony McDade — whose lives are honored with a memorial on the front lawn of the North Universalist Chapel Society in Woodstock, where people have been arriving to lay flowers all weekend. 

Leading Sunday’s vigil was the North Chapel’s pastor, Rev. Leon Dunkley, who encouraged the crowd to see the beauty within themselves and share it in others. Dunkley assured those present that working for equality doesn’t have to be done with anxiety. 

“If we can find a way to do this as joy-based work, we’re going to get through this just fine,” Dunkley said, adding the following quote: “Never be afraid to return the beauty to our world.”

The vigil also acknowledged the diversity central to that beauty. Dunkley pointed out Sunday’s event took place on Abenaki ground, noting that we are “part of a larger story.” He then welcomed Rachel and Jeffrey Kahn from Congregation Shir Shalom, who shared a Torah from Czechoslovakia that survived the Holocaust.

“This Torah today is here to bear witness to what happens when hate goes unchecked, but this Torah survived,” Rachel Kahn said.   

As the nation grapples with hate, the example of former NFL star Colin Kaepernick has re-emerged into the news. With that in mind, Dunkley, a black man who once lived in Minneapolis, pointed out the two meanings of “taking a knee.” He brought up Kaepernick, who knelt in protest during the National Anthem in 2016 and was essentially forced from the league when no team would sign him. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recently released a statement saying the NFL was wrong and that they stand with the “Black Lives Matter” movement.

As Sunday’s crowd applauded that change, Dunkley called it “a beautiful arch of growth that’s possible for all of us.” He then acknowledged the second meaning. 

“Taking a knee in Minneapolis, where I used to live, meant taking the life of a man named George Floyd.” 

On Sunday, as people held a number of “Black Lives Matter” posters, Dunkley also noted that some were criticizing that name, saying it should be “All Lives Matter.” He said “Black Lives Matter” is not a means of affirming an identity, rather, it’s a form of resistance to what led to the deaths of those 206 individuals. 

As the protests continued this weekend throughout the country, young people have had a strong presence, and Woodstock’s event on Sunday was no exception. Trey Jones, a local high school freshman, who is white, said he’s always had cousins and an uncle in New Jersey who were bi-racial. He was at Sunday’s vigil to show his support. 

“Just to do something for my cousins, for their future, means a lot to me,” Jones said. 

As the people knelt silently, united, for those eight minutes, I was heartened to see three young boys, each looking younger than 12, side by side, each on one knee. They were there, too, listening to the qualities of joy, grace and beauty being mentioned as strong, positive forces we have within us. At this pivotal time for our state and nation, Dunkley asked the crowd to consider what message they would give the world. If we walk with those qualities, innocently welcoming them as a child would, we will each lovingly figure out what we can do to help, and walk with others in that direction.

— Gareth Henderson