As protests sweep the country in response to the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes, members of the Wareham and Tri-Town community gathered together to pray and speak out against racism.

Hosted by the The Wareham Area Clergy Association and the Tri-Town Against Racism Group, the “Communities for Peace, Justice, Healing and Heart Changes” vigil offered participants a chance to heal through prayer, spark conversation on the issue of racism, and find ways to create real change going forward. 

As a crowd of about 100 people gathered at the Wareham High School Track on Tuesday night, Pastor Gerald Fernandes welcomed participants with prayer, and the playing of the song “Waymaker” to begin the vigil.

One of the participants, Kathy, of Wareham, held signs that read “# Black Lives Matter,” and “Love Does Not See Color.” She said she chose to attend the vigil to stand against injustice and bring the community together.

After setting the tone by expressing his love for the greater Wareham community, and leading the song through lyrics of “waymaker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness, my god, that is who you are,” Fernandes turned to Pastor Virginia Goode-Doran of the United Wesley Church in Wareham. 

In her prayer, Goode-Doran asked God to “help us to be bold in our actions, help us to be bold in our speech…” as well as the ability to take a stand against injustice when needed, but also the ability to listen to others when needed. 

Pastor Dan Bernier, of the Church of the Good Shepherd, then spoke about the “wound of racism” that is deeply rooted in this country. 

“There is so much brokenness in our world,” Bernier said. He added that “at least in this country, people of color have suffered more than others,” referencing the fact that communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by coronavirus.

Bernier then said that while prayer is helpful, “we must do the work to heal” the wound of racism, and that “when we come together as brothers and sisters we can do that.”

Old Rochester Regional High School senior Jendell Teixeira discussed her personal experiences dealing with racism, something she said has been embedded in her everyday life as a black student in a predominantly white school district. 

Teixeira said that racism is alive and well today: She has experienced racism in forms ranging from microaggressions to more blatant acts, like when she was called the n-word in the eighth grade,

“This isn’t just something that happens down south or in other cities and states, it’s in Massachusetts, in the Southcoast heavy, and now is the time for us to take a stand,” she said. 

Teixeira said racism should be addressed in the ORR school district through the hiring of a more diverse teaching staff, and modifying the curriculum to include more books telling the stories of black characters.

Teixeira added that white people should seek out resources to educate themselves on racism, as it should not solely be up to black people to educate their oppressors. 

The Vigil also introduced the Tri-Town Against Racism group, which was formed by six women — three white and three black — in response to racist incidents within Tri-Town Schools. 

Group Coordinator Margaret Laine said that “we believe that through education, exposure, and awareness we can accomplish our goals” of addressing racism within the school system. 

Barbara Sullivan, Teixeira’s grandmother, helped to organize the vigil. She said that many people in the Tri-Town may not realize the extent of the issue in the ORR school district, and is asking people to submit “war stories” to the group’s Facebook page to highlight the severity of the problem.

Over the May 29 weekend, a post surfaced from an Old Rochester Regional Junior High School student of a meme that mocked the death of George Floyd and used racial slurs. The student later publicly apologized for the post on social media. 

The district was blunt in a letter to the school community, not wasting any space to address the matters at hand: “It is also critical that we acknowledge that we have had our own struggles with racism. Most recently - unacceptable racist actions on social media outlets have damaged the foundation of our schools. These actions go against everything our schools' mission and values stand for. They are unacceptable.”