Black Lives Matter Story Archives - Page 4 of 4 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Us & Them: Community and Cops Talking Across the Divide

High-profile confrontations between African-Americans and police officers have fueled tensions across the country. West Virginia is NOT a place where people are comfortable talking about these things.

But in Trey’s hometown of Charleston, some of the key players are now bringing this tension out into the open.

On this week’s episode of the “Us & Them” podcast: the story of an effort to change tense perceptions between police and the black community by bringing that tension out into the open.

From West Virginia Public Broadcasting and PRX, this is “Us & Them,” the podcast where we tell the stories about America’s cultural divides.

Subscribe to “Us & Them” on Apple Podcasts, NPR One or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Share your opinions with us about these issues, and let us know what you’d like us to discuss in the future. Send a tweet to @usthempodcast or @wvpublic, or leave a comment on Facebook.com/usthempodcast.

This episode is part of a series made possible with financial assistance from the West Virginia Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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Hundreds Attend Black Lives Matter Rally at W.Va. State Capitol

Between 400-500 people attended a Black Lives Matter rally Sunday at the State Capitol in Charleston. The event was peaceful, with no violence reported.

The rally was organized by several groups, including Call to Action for Racial Equality. It was spearheaded by two young women of color who grew up in Kanawha County, Gabrielle Chapman, executive director for the Call to Action for Racial Equality, or CARE, and by Takeiya Smith, the student president of Black Lives Matter at West Virginia State University.

“To the black women who have been fighting, are fighting, and continue the fight for justice, we share so much love to each other,” Smith said at the rally. “We know there is no black knight in shining armor coming to save us. We must uplift our place and position in feminism by ourselves.”

Organizers of the event, Gabrielle Chapman, executive director for the Call to Action for Racial Equality, or CARE, and by Takeiya Smith, the student president of Black Lives Matter at West Virginia State University.

All of the speeches at the rally were given by women, including by Adrienne Belafonte Biesemeyer, a resident of Alderson.

“So for those of you who don’t understand what Black Lives Matters means, it means we are equal and our lives mean just as much as everybody else’s,” said Beisemeyer, the daughter of Harry Belafonte, the singer and Civil Rights Activist from the 1960s. She and the other speakers urged the crowd not to become complacent, and to fight for racial justice.

W.Va. Capitol Police Reinforces Safety Rules Ahead of Sunday Rally

A Black Lives Matter rally will be held outside the Capitol Complex in Charleston on Sunday.

After recent violence in Charlottesville, Va., the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs announced in a news release Friday that safety rules for the Capitol grounds are being reinforced ahead of the rally.

The use of firearms and certain knives and bludgeons are already prohibited from the Capitol’s campus, however, the Department of Military Affairs says some additional items are now banned, effective immediately. These items include:

Sticks, including those on signs
Helmets
Shields
Water guns or pistols
Capstun or pepper spray

Bicycles and animals will also be prohibited during Sunday’s event in the Capitol’s North Plaza.
Other items may be prohibited if they appear to be a risk to people or property. The Department of Military Affairs asks that visitors use common sense and be mindful of the items prohibited before they enter the Capitol grounds.

Backbacks, coolers, and bags brought on to the campus could be searched.

Masks, hoods, or face coverings on the Capitol grounds or other public spaces are also prohibited.

The Department of Military Affairs and the Capitol Police will be coordinating its safety and security measures with other law enforcement agencies as well as with the Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

Poet Nikki Giovanni Says W.Va. Should Be Celebrated

Poet and activist Nikki Giovanni loves several things about Appalachia: its defense of freedom, and how the people here know when enough is enough in regards to material wealth.

Giovanni was the Writer-in-Residence for Shepherd University’s 2015 Appalachian Heritage Festival.

Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on June 7, 1943, but spent most of her early years in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1958, she moved back to Knoxville, where she lived with her grandparents.

She would later go on to receive her undergraduate degree from Fisk University in Nashville and attend graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University.

While growing up, Giovanni experienced segregation and became active in the Civil Rights Movement, which influenced much of her work.

Today, Giovanni lives in Virginia and is a professor at Virginia Tech.

Shepherd University’s Appalachian Heritage Writer-in-Residence is sponsored by the West Virginia Humanities Council and Shepherd’s Appalachian Studies Program.