NIMBY

© Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - Organizer Amina Carter leading the Juneteenth march through Arbutus, Maryland © Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - March down East Drive in Arbutus, MD chanting "Black Lives Matter!" © Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - Pass the mic View all images ↓
View all images ↓

The march had a Facebook event and was promoted in an Arbutus Facebook group. The event was immediately met with opposition. Commenters wanted to know, "Why here?"

George Floyd was murdered May 25, 2020 on camera and in front of onlookers.

They plead with officers to

GET

OFF

HIS

NECK!

Many communities across America organized marches and protests. I was surprised to see an event organized on Facebook called "Juneteenth March For Racial Equity". What surprised me was the location: Arbutus, Maryland (a suburb southwest of Baltimore).

The significance of marching through Arbutus is known by those familiar with the area. Arbutus is known historically to be a community lacking ethnic diversity and politically conservative. I live in a nearby neighborhood and remember knowing when I crossed into Arbutus because of the oversized political signs. Some residents were obviously trying to drive the point home where they stood politically, and who was welcome.

Some will yell loudly

NOT

IN

MY

BACK

YARD!

NIMBY...

Many communities in Baltimore City and Baltimore County that are politically conservative have some diversity. That doesn't mean the residents adding to that diversity are seen or heard.

You can grow up in an area your whole life, graduate from your designated high school, but expected to not be vocal about issues specific to your ethnic identity. The expectations of silence were felt by the women who organized this march. Coralie Boly.......Amina Carter.....Gabby Christopher.....

Having the march on Juneteenth, a holiday celebrating the day slaves in Galveston, TX were told they were free and had been free for over a year. The symbolism between Juneteenth and the miseducation of students living in predominantly white communities about black history. The organizers expressed that was their experience.

The march had a Facebook event and was promoted in an Arbutus Facebook group. The event was immediately met with opposition. Commenters wanted to know, "Why here?". The organizers selected Arbutus because they ARE part of the community despite looking different.The organizers received threats, I saw comments suggesting there would be problems for protesters, possible auto assaults, and even "lock and load" threats. Organizers from Baltimore City, current, and former Arbutus residents marched with them in solidarity. Their message was "Hate has no home here".

Despite the opposition

THEY CAME

THEY MARCHED

THEY PROTESTED

THEY SPOKE

THEY CRIED

THEY LISTENED

THEY EMPOWERED

THEY WERE PEACEFUL

At 7 months pregnant, my husband and I went to Arbutus so I could document the historic event and stand in solidarity with our neighbors. This was not my first time chasing down a protest to document the emotions of the attendees and it will not be my last.

© Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - Organizer Amina Carter leading the Juneteenth march through Arbutus, Maryland
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Organizer Amina Carter leading the Juneteenth march through Arbutus, Maryland

© Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - March down East Drive in Arbutus, MD chanting "Black Lives Matter!"
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March down East Drive in Arbutus, MD chanting "Black Lives Matter!"

© Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - Pass the mic
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Pass the mic

© Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - #BLM "If they start shooting stand behind me"
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#BLM "If they start shooting stand behind me"

© Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - An onlooker started heckling the protesters from the median
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An onlooker started heckling the protesters from the median

© Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - Protester confronting a heckler "No Justice! No Peace"
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Protester confronting a heckler "No Justice! No Peace"

© Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - We must dismantle white supremacy
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We must dismantle white supremacy

© Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - White Silence = Violence
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White Silence = Violence

© Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - Activist Erricka Bridgeford (Baltimore Ceasefire)
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Activist Erricka Bridgeford (Baltimore Ceasefire)

© Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - Activist Erricka Bridgeford from Baltimore Ceasefire speaking to the crowd in solidarity with the organizers
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Activist Erricka Bridgeford from Baltimore Ceasefire speaking to the crowd in solidarity with the organizers

© Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - Organizer Amina Carter
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Organizer Amina Carter

© Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - Image from the NIMBY photography project
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Amina Carter telling her experience as a child and feeling the pressure to conform, “I was small and brown and I was happy.”

© Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - Image from the NIMBY photography project
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Activist Kenisha Jenkins “We are the movement that our ancestors dreamed of. Now is the time. And this is a call to action.”

© Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - Speaker in awe
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Speaker in awe

© Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - Protester with a flag and symbolically taking a knee
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Protester with a flag and symbolically taking a knee

© Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - Activist Kenisha Jenkins
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Activist Kenisha Jenkins

© Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - Former Lansdowne resident, Activist Rayna Moore
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Former Lansdowne resident, Activist Rayna Moore

© Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - Justice =/= Just Us ENOUGH
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Justice =/= Just Us ENOUGH

© Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - Organizer Gabby Christopher
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Organizer Gabby Christopher

© Ash Esposito ~ Little Box of Random - #BlackGirlMagic - Organizer Coralie Boly
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#BlackGirlMagic - Organizer Coralie Boly