Black Lives Matter Rally In Towson Planned For Saturday

TOWSON, MD — A Black Lives Matter rally in Towson Saturday morning will unite congregations from different parts of the faith community under the banner of justice for all.

"I feel part of my role as being a good Catholic is to speak out for my sisters and brothers that don’t have a voice sometimes," said Ryan Sattler, who with his wife founded the group Racial Justice Circle, which is coordinating the rally. It is the fourth event like this in six weeks, he said.

Protesters will line both sides of York Road, north and south of Ascension Lutheran Church, Sattler told Patch.

"Everybody makes their own signs. It becomes a very personal message of what they bring to the rally and what they give people driving by," Sattler said, noting signs have said things like "Black Lives Matter," "I Can’t Breathe," "Say Their Names" and "Justice Now."

Due to the coronavirus, organizers ask attendees to take precautions.

"We haven’t locked our elbows yet — COVID-19 hasn’t let us get that close," Sattler said. "We don’t want people to get sick, so on our flyer we say, 'Wear a mask and honor social distancing.'"

While the coronavirus may prevent some from attending, organizers say people driving by can still participate from afar by honking their horns.

"I never thought that the sound of a car horn could ever be so beautiful," Sattler said. "We can’t hold hands, and we can’t lock our arms together, but we’re there doing our protesting and our rallying and trying to tell the world that is going by us in cars that Black lives matter."

These congregations and organizations will participate:

• Ascension Lutheran Church
• Beyond the Boundaries
• Black Onyx Movement
• Bolton Street Synagogue
• Cathedral of Mary Our Queen
• Church of the Redeemer
• Congregation Beit Tikvah
• Faith Presbyterian Church
• First & St. Stephens’s UCC
• Grace United Methodist Church
• Immigration Outreach Service Center
• Latino Racial Justice Circle
• Northeast Catholic Community
• Pax Christi Baltimore
• Racial Justice Circle
• School Sisters of Notre Dame

More Black Lives Matter events are planned up the York Road corridor, Sattler said.

"The thing that we can do as white folks is that we can’t let the message of Black Lives Matter die," Sattler said. "I think the motivation that brings us together is people's relationship with their higher power, and it brings us together as people of faith," he added.

"We need to do our part to keep that message of justice and equality alive and in the hearts and on the lips of people," Sattler said, "so we’re going to continue doing the rallies every two to three weeks as long as the weather cooperates."

The Black Lives Matter Rally will be from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, at Ascension Lutheran Church, 7601 York Road, Towson. Organizers ask people to wear masks and honor social distancing guidance.