From Center for Participatory Change:
In this divided, rhetoric-fueled election season, some are joining together to build community across the state, starting in Western North Carolina and moving across the state in a 10-day Long March for Unity and Justice.
The march is organized by the Beloved Community Center in Greensboro with partners across the state, kicking off in Cullowhee and Asheville on Sept. 20, and ending in Wilmington on Sept. 29.
In Asheville, participants will meet at the Arthur R. Edington Center, 133 Livingston St., at 4:30 p.m. and march up South French Broad Avenue, past Delta House and the YWCA, and to the United Way Building, 50 S. French Broad Ave. for light refreshments and information on the organizations working for positive change in the community.
The walk concludes at the YMI Cultural Center at about 5 p.m., where participants can enjoy a light meal and a short program.
The events aim to amplify the voices of all North Carolinians through community organizing, voting initiatives, grassroots education, and art. BCC Co-Executive Directors Joyce Hobson Johnson and Rev. Nelson Johnson believe the nation has reached a crossroads where we continue toward authoritarianism or expand democracy with greater freedom and wealth distribution.
This initiative is supported by a coalition of organizing partners, here in Asheville, including the Center for Participatory Change (CPC), Racial Justice Coalition (RJC), Reparations Stakeholders Authority of Asheville (RSAA), NC Black Alliance, NC Council of Churches, Black Workers for Justice, Blueprint NC, Forward Justice, Down Home NC, Freedom Center, Red, Wine & Blue, Poor People’s Campaign, Second Chance Alliance, Union of Southern Service Workers, People’s Power Coalition, Justice Served NC, Southern Vision Alliance, and NC BLOC.
The movement fosters unity and collaboration through the We The People Unity Covenant, and the effort seeks to address dysfunctional systems, inspire electoral engagement, and empower communities.
BCC previously led the nation’s first Truth and Reconciliation Process to disclose the truth related to the Nov. 3, 1979, Greensboro Massacre. The Truth Commission concluded that police absence was a major factor in the tragedy, leading to an apology
from the Greensboro City Council in 2020. THE LONG MARCH FOR UNITY & JUSTICE continues this reconciliation process, on a state level aiming to affirm truth, heal divisions, address community issues, build grassroots leadership, and transform oppressive policies and systems.
To learn more, or to register for the march, visit
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