'Part of history:' Dozens of youth from southeast Raleigh to rally in DC on Juneteenth weekend
On this Juneteenth weekend, tens of thousands of people are planning to march in Washington, DC, as part of the Poor People's Campaign, which originated with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. This weekend, it'll be led by Rev. William Barber.
In the spirit of King, around 40 young people from southeast Raleigh will be traveling there, lending their voices as part of Saturday's rally – a protest against systemic racism and poverty.
A non-profit called Justice Served North Carolina is taking the group of young Raleighites to the rally – where they say they are pumped to be part of history and help change the world.
"I don't think y'all really know how pumped up I am, but that's me," says Miracle Powell, 17.
This is her first trip to the nation's capital.
She anticipates "us coming together, us being proud, us yelling, us screaming, us telling other people what we want, what we need."
The Poor People's Campaign originated decades ago with the civil rights work of King. These days, the campaign works to root out the causes of poverty and combat systemic racism.
"Us being, like 17-year-olds, and people seeing us talk about these issues that are going on. I feel like it would really make a change to have people, like, listen to what we have to say," says Mah-Niah Hood-Baker, who is also 17.
This march comes one day before Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people in the US.
Ty-Anna Miller, 24, says that date lends poignancy and power to the march.
"It's really significant, because I've always said I want to be a part of history – you know, like be the change you want to see," she says. "So I think action is the most important thing when we are discussing changes in policies."
Diana Powell, founder of Justice Served North Carolina, says she believes in the importance of inviting young people to a national movement.
"My first thought was young people – let's get them up there so they can experience what a national movement is all about," said Powell.
Jordan Adams, also 17, welcomes the experience.
"Just to kind of better myself and see what's going on in other places and what other people have and don't have," says Adams.
The group of young people aims to follow in the footsteps of great change makers.
The group will travel by bus to Washington, DC, leaving at 3:45 in the morning. The rally begins at 9:30 a.m. and continues into the afternoon.
