By Mackenzie Ferguson

“We ran home, but there were so many people affected by the tear gas. So we ran downstairs, we got milk and water from our basement, and we threw out water bottles to people so that they could pour it into their eyes. So many people were falling over, they could hardly see. It was just a giant stampede of people running to nowhere. No one had places to go, they were really just running away to protect themselves. It just made us so angry. The protest was so peaceful.” – Lotti and Grace Stefanovich

This summer, the Richmond community protested police brutality and confronted the legacy of Confederate monuments in our city during many protests and marches. Collegiate students Zehma Herring (‘22), Lotti Stefanovich (‘22), and Grace Stefanovich (‘22) attended a Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Richmond on June 2, and they witnessed and took part in a moment of Richmond history.

An image of George Floyd projected onto the Robert E. Lee statue. Photo credit: Grace Stefanovich

Starting in 2013, the Black Lives Matter movement (BLM) has globally advocated to address discrimination, police brutality, and white supremacy through protests, petitions, and donations. Although there have been several deaths caused by police brutality in past years—such as Eric Garner and Tanisha Anderson—this summer’s protests were spurred by the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who was killed in Minneapolis after being held down on the sidewalk by a police officer’s knee. Bystanders at this event filmed his death, later publishing the video on social media for the world to see. This is where the uprising of protests began. 

When asked why they felt they needed to partake in the BLM protests, Herring and the Stefanovich sisters agreed that one reason was because they lived too close to the Robert E. Lee monument to not be involved. Lotti said that she was also compelled to protest by “the fact that this movement—specifically out of Richmond—has drawn people from all over the city, suburbs, and even people from out of state. We had met strangers from Maryland and South Carolina.” Herring discussed how, at her age, 16, there is a “voice outside of your parents,” and that she had felt more independence to fight for what she believed in. And Grace had recognized that the protests in Richmond will eventually become a part of history, and that she “couldn’t not take part in something that will be so significant to Richmond and its culture.”

Not only did Herring and the Stefanoviches attend Richmond’s future history; they also participated in what may be the largest civil rights movement in the history of the United States.

Photo of Richmond protesters shining flashlights among the Robert E. Lee monument. Photo credit: Lotti Stefanovich

On Tuesday, June 2, the three juniors took part in a scheduled protest that ultimately had over two thousand attendees. There were several activists in particular that stood out. To Herring, the most influential activist there was a young girl who gave a speech that was so moving that she had over 2,000 people as a rapt audience. The young woman, whose name Herring never learned, spoke about young activists and their effect on protests.  “She just took the mic and started talking,” said Herring. “They really wanted to hear what she had to say, too. And I just remember thinking, ‘She’s so young.’ Like high school or college, but the fact that she’s so young and leading this huge group was just so amazing.” The activist had also started several chants that “showed her passion,” as Herring states, that had “created so much unification” at the protest. 

The most influential speaker the Stefanovich sisters heard was the great-great-grandson of Robert E. Lee, Robert E. Lee V. While most people might associate Robert E. Lee’s descendant as a legacy and promoter of his family’s history, Lee V was, by contrast, advocating for the removal of his great-great-grandfather’s statue. Grace noted that at a separate protest, he gave a speech about “how frustrated he was with society and how he wanted the monuments taken down. And that is his own great-great-grandfather… I was in awe by the fact that Robert E. Lee’s [great-great-]grandson was standing there up on his monument, asking for change.” All three students also noted that the female speaker, Robert E. Lee’s descendant, and several other activists led multiple chants that had the crowd “left speechless.”

There is no doubt in the Stefanovich sisters’ minds that the protests in early June were nonviolent and untroubled. But while they were chanting “No Justice, No Peace,” Richmond police officers arrived and released tear gas and pepper spray among the protesters. Lotti recalled the event as “just a small protest. Just neighbors and other people walking around with signs. There was absolutely nothing wrong. It was completely peaceful.”

The Stefanoviches recorded live footage as the protesters were being scattered by the spraying. “It was really just the blink of an eye, and all of a sudden they fire! Tear gas and pepper spray. Everywhere.” When asked about their emotional state after the event, the Stefanoviches both agreed that they were furious. “We were crying. We were so frustrated by what we witnessed. We just couldn’t believe it. It was just so peaceful.” The police officers who released the gas later claimed that the gas was pulled in order to bring officers to safety after being attacked by violent protesters. The Richmond police later apologized for their actions.

Warning: This video may be disturbing to some viewers. 

The most powerful takeaway from the students’ experiences of the protests were the unity and solidarity of all the protesters, regardless of race, gender, or age. “It was weird,” Grace remarked,“You feel like you’ve been with these people forever. You just felt like you belonged, because everyone was right there with you, fighting for the same cause.” Lotti and Herring both spoke about the moment when a local photographer asked to take a photo of the two of them. “He had a professional camera” stated Herring, “so I had assumed that it was going somewhere, possibly news or whatever. And it felt so good, because it felt like he found my being there important.”

Collegiate students Zehma Herring (’22) and Lotti Stefanovich (’22) at a BLM protest this past summer. Photo credit: Grace Stefanovich

In the same moment, Lotti said she felt so connected with Herring. She stated, “I’m white, Zehma is Black, and it made no difference. I think that photo almost looks like we’re twins. Twins in the sense that although we look different, we were there for the same purpose and protesting for the same thing.” Both Herring and Lotti agreed that while taking the photo, they felt that they were making history. 

“At the very least, educate yourself. Then do what you can to support Black Lives Matter.” Herring had written this on her sign for the protest to show her thoughts throughout the movement. To all three students, education about the Black Lives Matter movement was one of the most valuable aspects of their experience. Through education, people can physically take action in protests and know the true meaning behind their actions. 

“So get educated!” Herring states. “Because then you can sign petitions and take part in something so big. Do it. We can have such an impacting voice.”

Featured image photo credit: Zehma Herring.