A Week of Protests

Thousands of Arlington residents hit the streets in early June and demanded an end to racial oppression. Here's a photo essay.

Alex Sakes Photography

Sixty years ago, six college students held a sit-in at lunch counter at Arlington’s Cherrydale Drug Fair and were refused service because of the racial mix of their group. During the first week of June 2020, thousands of protesters in Arlington joined a nationwide call for justice and an end to racial oppression in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

The following images were captured by Arlington resident Alex Sakes/Alex Sakes Photography during the “Arlington March for Floyd,” organized by Beaumont Gassama and Lena Negri; the “Say Their Names” protest, staged in partnership with the Arlington NAACP and organized by Yolande and Anika Kwinana; and the Arlington Branch NAACP “We Are Done Dying” rally organized by Yolande Kwinana, J.D. Spain Sr. and Kent Carter.

The protests were an important step toward change, and the difficult conversations must continue. Arlington Magazine is launching a https://www.arlingtonmagazine.com/category/race-and-equity/. This is a community voices project and all perspectives are welcome. Please share your personal experiences with us in the form of a 400-500 word essay or a 3-4 minute spoken-word video. The goal of this project is to gain greater enlightenment and understanding as a community, through stories. Send your essay/video submission, plus a photo of yourself, to editorial@arlingtonmagazine.com.