Marchers walk hundreds of kilometers to protest white supremacy

World Today

Last month, racially-charged violence in a city in the U.S. state of Virginia sparked outrage across the country.

It has led some to stand up and speak out, including a group who has walked more than 160 kilometers (a little over 99 miles) to Washington, D.C.

They did so through sun and rain to protest white supremacy.

CGTN’s Toby Muse reports.

They have been marching all day in this constant rain. This is the last day of a ten-day march that started in Charlottesville, and is due to end Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

Over 100 people are protesting what they said is the rise of white supremacy since the election of President Donald Trump.

The march was organized last month after clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, between white supremacists and counter protesters. The violence left one dead and dozens injured.

Some are still haunted by what happened.

“We’re all in shock, we’re all hurt,” said April Muniz, a marcher.  “I felt strongly I needed to heal. I needed to get back on the street. I needed to finish the march I started.”

These marchers say racism remains the fault-line that divides the U.S., whether it’s civil rights or the environment.

“If you ask a significant number of block folks, it means ending state and police violence and murders of black people,” Stephanie Llanes, a marcher said.  “For indigenous people, it means stopping drilling pipelines in their communities and in their homes. For people of Flint, it means clean drinking water.”

All these marchers are demanding that President Donald Trump resign. This was a small protest, but an indication of how polarized the U.S. remains.