Friday, November 10, 2017

Speakers list for Sunday's Westbard cemetery rally grows


The speakers list is growing for Sunday's Bethesda African Cemetery Rally, which will begin at 1:30 PM at Macedonia Baptist Church at 5119 River Road in Bethesda. In addition to the Rev. Walter Fauntroy, and co-hosts the Rev. Graylan Hagler and Dr. Laurel Hoa, new additions include Montgomery County Councilmember and County Executive candidate Marc Elrich, anthropologist and African-American cemetery expert Michael Blakey, Eugene Puryear of radio's "By Any Mean's Necessary," Don Pelles of Jewish Voices for Peace, attorney Michele Rosenfeld and Patricia Kolesar of SaveWestbard, historian Dr. David Rotenstein, poet Siki Dlanga from South Africa, Sarah Morse of the Little Falls Watershed Alliance, and Kymone Freeman, founder of We Act Radio.

There are signs that the coalition of community groups fighting to save the cemetery is expanding, as well. Impact Silver Spring is now on-board, and the Rev. Abhi Janamachi of Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church will speak at the rally. Also returning, will be Macedonia Baptist Church Pastor Segun Adebayo, the church's Social Justice Ministry chair Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, and MBC trustee and former resident of the lost River Road black community Harvey Matthews.

Rally organizers have also invited County Executive candidates Roger Berliner and George Leventhal, as well as Senator Chris Van Hollen and Congressman Jamie Raskin. None are yet confirmed as speakers, however.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love how this article implies that the cemetery is still in its original pristine condition, rather than having been previously destroyed and buried under a parking lot.

Anonymous said...

Today's Dose of Crazy from Robert Dyer:

"Ehrlich didn't authorize those calls. It was a set up by Democratic operatives from the cartel.

"Meanwhile....yeah....Chris Van Hollen...who ran a campaign in which HE HIMSELF told union leaders to suppress black turnout in the 2016 election. And then got body slammed by Hillary Clinton when she found out about his racist plot. Yikes."

Anonymous said...

Body slamming is the best way to solve our differences. We should let Reimer body slam Dyer and vice versa so at least one of the parties involved can make peace.

Robert Dyer said...

5:56: Where were you earlier this year when the Chris Van Hollen-demands-union-suppress-black-vote-in-Maryland scandal broke? Granted, the local media quickly swept it under the rug, but I don't think black voters will forget that in 2018. Shameful.

Anonymous said...

Rumor has it the over/under of those attending on Sunday is 20 and I have $1,000 on the under.

Anonymous said...

I hope Dyer's boss at Taco Bell makes him work the daytime shift on Sunday, and he has to miss the rally.

Anonymous said...

Why don't the protest in favor of putting a museum where the church parking lot currently is? They own that land.

The supposed cemetery is on land sold by the black benevolent society years ago -- they should take it up with that society if they don't like that the land was sold.

Anonymous said...

It would be funny if the church parking lot, or the church itself, turned out to be built over another cemetery.

Anonymous said...

Didn't the HOC say they weren't redeveloping the property? What's the issue?

Baloney Concrete said...

@5:50 -- Standard operating procedure around here -- only tell half the story.

Anonymous said...

This church is a bunch of lunatics and not so smart people. I’m going to accuse people of having graves under their property and protest and yell until I get my way. Fools.

Anonymous said...

"Chris Van Hollen...who ran a campaign in which HE HIMSELF told union leaders to suppress black turnout in the 2016 election. And then got body slammed by Hillary Clinton when she found out about his racist plot. Yikes."

Alleged by sore loser Donna Edwards, and corroborated by absolutely no one else.

Anonymous said...

9:08, true. No doubt they are on top of something that died many years ago. Someone needs to research what is under the church and the parking lot.

Robert Dyer said...

2:05: WRONG! You lie. There was more than one source for the Van Hollen black voter suppression plan, including those inside the Hillary Clinton campaign, who leaked Hillary's reaction when she found out about Van Hollen's racist scheme.

Anna said...

Anonymous said...
I love how this article implies that the cemetery is still in its original pristine condition, rather than having been previously destroyed and buried under a parking lot.
5:50 AM

My first thought also.

Anonymous said...

I see Dyer deleted my over/under attendance comment. If more than 15 people show up in this cold weather, Dyer will call it a success!