Call to action
4/2/2015, 10:10 p.m.
Do you believe black lives matter?
Here’s one good way to show it:
Turn out for the “Blue Coats Parade” on Saturday, April 4, to show support for the U.S. Colored Troops who led the Union army in liberating Richmond and emancipating people from slavery 150 years ago.
To those troops, black lives matter was more than just a slogan. They put their lives on the line to prove it.
Despite facing deprivation, unequal pay and injustice in the U.S. military, they took action to uplift our people. They enlisted and braved cannon fire and rifle shots to uphold the central tenet of this nation — that all people are created equal.
Re-enactors will portray the regiments and battalions that participated in this seminal fight for freedom.
The parade is scheduled to begin 9:30 a.m. at Rocketts Landing, proceed along East Main Street and then follow Bank and 9th streets to the State Capitol.
The reality is the Union could not have won the Civil War without the Colored Troops. About 200,000 African-Americans served as soldiers and sailors in the war, representing about 10 percent of all Union forces.
Now is the time to turn out in remembrance of those who secured a better future for us and for all Americans. Let us re-dedicate ourselves to the principles of freedom they fought for and the action that it takes to ensure that black lives do matter.
