On Saturday, November 21, Blooms of Liberation and Merced Black Alliance will host a march and protest to fight for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and LGBTQIA+ folks as well as continue the fight for Black Lives Matter.
This event will occur at the Old Merced Courthouse this Saturday and will begin at 10:30 a.m.
Blooms of Liberation member and local activist, Daniel Garibay (they/them/he/his) explained how regardless of the election results, local groundwork needs to continue to be created in our Central Valley communities.
“Regardless of the election results, we are the ones that have our community’s back. So let’s build that community,” explained Garibay.
Garibay hopes this event can be used as an avenue to meet other BIPOC folks, share resources, and network with other organizations.
“We hope this action would help create a larger network of Black, Indigenous and POC organizations who share our vision, and who offer several resources to help marginalized communities in a variety of ways,” said Garibay.
Stan State alum, local community activist and Blooms of Liberation member, Julissa Ruiz Ramirez (she/her/ella) explains why this protest is extremely important in creating change from the start.
“Many times, we’ve seen a focus to implement change to help with the after damage, rather than combating the root issues of the problem. We believe in the power of the people and in that we hold collectively…it’s time that we get organized in that way,” said Ruiz Ramirez.
Ruiz Ramirez also hopes that this protest can be used as a guiding light for community members who may want to get more involved in local community issues but may not know how.
“Our people know about the issues affecting them. We don’t have to tell them. But many times, either they don’t have the resources to organize or know where to start,” said Ruiz Ramirez.
This march and protest is open to all members of the community who would like to use their voices to fight for the liberation of all marginalized folks.
“We hope you will join us in marching and building a coalition to make our communities a better place for us all,” said Garibay.
Masks are mandatory for this event.
For more information visit @bloomliberation or @merced_black_alliance on Instagram.
