Black Lives Matter rally held on Dartmouth waterfront

Dozens of young people gathered on the Dartmouth Waterfront outside Alderney Landing on Saturday for a Black Lives Matter rally.

Jessica Bowden, founder of Teens Now Talk magazine, was one of the organizers for the event. She said she wanted youth to have their voices heard.

"Now the era is the way it is, and the situation the way it is, our youth feel they didn't have a voice. So they want to have a platform for themselves in the same professional manner you would give an adult, which is why we're here," she said.

During the rally, a drum played a heartbeat rhythm foreight minutes and 46 seconds in memory of George Floyd. Floyd, a Black man, died during an encounter with police inMinneapolis in May.

"Understanding when that heartbeat stops, people will still move on. George Floyd unfortunately could not. And that passing is what caused a lot of this movement today," Bowden said.

Organizers made sure attendees kept two metres apart, as per COVID-19 guidelines. There were also extra masks available if required.

Young people sang, danced, and shared ideas about how to tackle racism in their own communities.

One of them, 11-year-old Moriah Aladejebi, recited an original poem called "Why?"

She said she hasbeen writing poetry for a while, butdoesn't often get to share it publicly.

"Just reaching people who may struggle with that, especially as youth. As Black youth ...people don't see you as somebody who can make a difference. But we all make a difference," she said.

Aladejebi saidit was inspiring to be at Saturday's rally.

"If there's anybody else who wants to write poetry or do something to help and empower others ... they can do it."

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.