DALTON, Ga. – A group gathered Friday to speak out against a wave of hot-button racial killings.
But also, they gathered to speak inwardly.
Among themselves, after a march and series of speeches on the lawn of the Whitfield County Courthouse, some of the leaders reflected on the differences of their generations. Antoine Simmons, 42, the president of the local chapter of the NAACP, stood beside 21-year-old Tierra Hickey, who organized the protest as part of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Simmons said Hickey’s generation might seem too radical to some. But, he added, critics said the same thing of black community organizers when he was Hickey’s age – and when his parents were Hickey’s age.
The only difference, said David Thomas, 52, is social media. Twitter and Facebook amplify the noise of the protests. Instagram makes it more vivid.