A month ago, George Floyd was murdered by the police. Since then, Damani Harrison has led a group of artists “coming together to speak truth to power” in the multimedia “One for George” project—our cover story this week.
Also in this week’s issue: The Charlottesville police department has been harming Black and brown people for decades, but a new oversight body is fighting for power, and protesters are leaving their mark—literally—on the department. Sexual assault is still prevalent on UVA Grounds, but survivors continue to advocate for reform. A statue of a Confederate soldier stands outside the Albemarle County courthouse, but new laws mean county officials can meet this week to start the process to take the monument down. Our public school history books are stuffed with racist, sexist, false narratives, but teachers are gathering to develop anti-racist curriculum alternatives. The area’s 5th Congressional District is gerrymandered to hell, but a young Black doctor has the best chance to win of any Democrat in a decade.
Each of these conflicts has its own contours. Still, a loose theme is undeniable: This country was purposefully designed to perpetuate inequity and entrench white supremacy. Our city is full of people who believe long-overdue change is both necessary and possible—people who are working to bring that change to fruition.
Saturday is the Fourth of July. This is not an admirable country, but plenty of admirable people live here. This week’s C-VILLE is about some of those people.