While protests in Washington and Richmond have made national news this week, peaceful and powerful demonstrations were also held in other parts of central Virginia. Sandy Hausman reports on the ways residents of Albemarle and Orange Counties have demanded an end to police brutality and racism.
The loudest protests have been here in Charlottesville, where night after night dozens of demonstrators have stood outside the federal building with signs – urging passing motorists to express their support. In Orange County Thursday night, hundreds of people – black and white – marched down Main Street. Organizer Elisha Richardson told the local newspaper she was warned that this rural area was the wrong place to denounce racism, but – in the end – the march was peaceful, with the local sheriff and police chief taking part.
On Friday, about two hundred healthcare professionals in white lab coats and masks gathered for a quiet show of solidarity at UVA. Some were told by their bosses not to speak with reporters, but several shared their thoughts anonymously.
“As a black woman first and as a black clinician, really drawing attention to the racial disparities in the healthcare system is extremely important to me,” said one.
"Access to healthcare is a huge issue. We haven’t done enough to improve access,“ said another.
They knelt in silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds – the time a Minneapolis police officer had pressed his knee against George Floyd’s neck. The event was dubbed White Coats Support Black lives as medical professionals lined the green hills surrounding UVA’s memorial to the enslaved workers who built the original campus.
