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The Sounds Of Nationwide Protest

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MONICA ONYEDIKA: (Singing) Journey of a thousand miles begin with one step.

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

That was Monica Onyedika leading a rally last night in Cincinnati, Ohio, part of a wave of protests and demonstrations throughout the country this weekend - most of them peaceful - against police brutality and racism. This is the second straight weekend of protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis. And so we begin the program with the voices of some of those who've been out on the streets today in New York, California, Arkansas, Illinois, Washington state and elsewhere to demand justice.

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UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER #1: And was you walk up, I want you to look your man in the face and ask yourself, did he have to die? Say his name.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS #1: George Floyd.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER #1: Say his name.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS #1: George Floyd.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER #1: Say her name.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS #1: Breonna Taylor.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER #1: Say her name.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS #1: Breonna Taylor.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER #1: Say her name.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS #1: Breonna Taylor.

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UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER #2: It is not easy for our young people that look like you and I to be able to walk the streets at a certain time of the night. This is not OK. And we will not take this as the new normal in Syracuse, N.Y.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS #2: Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter.

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UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER #3: The same system that oppresses our immigrants is the same system that destroys black lives every day.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS #3: No justice.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS #4: No peace.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS #3: No justice.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS #4: No peace.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER #4: (Singing) Until the killing of black mothers' sons is as important as the killing of white mothers' sons.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JON BATISTE: What I see right now is people coming together in solidarity for black lives, people coming together in solidarity for equality. We've got three tubas on the sidewalk. We've got horn players, we've got people of all races. We've got people of all ages, and we're standing out here in preparation for what can be something that will send loving vibrations out to the entire universe from New York City.

MARTIN: That was musician Jon Batiste in New York City today. We also heard from Nick Jones in Syracuse, N.Y., Johnny Laine in Little Rock, Ark., and Rondriquez White in Nashville, Tenn. As protests continued throughout the country so did memorials to George Floyd with a service in Rayford North Carolina near his birthplace. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.