‘We will not stand for racism and hatred,’ Columbus churches say

The march was brief, the protesters silent, but the message was clear: Columbus must stand in courage to raise against hate.
Members of more than 40 central Ohio churches, faith-based groups and Greek life organizations gathered Saturday afternoon at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral for a peaceful, silent protest against racism.
The Jericho March — a prayer walk which alludes to the Biblical story of Joshua and the Israelites marching seven times around the city of Jericho — was in response to a group of reportedly armed neo-Nazis who marched Nov. 16 through the Short North.
Captured on social media by stunned onlookers, a group of neo-Nazis paraded along North High Street in black clothing with red face masks and carrying black flags emblazoned with red swastikas. One of them carried a bullhorn, and witnesses said they yelled racial slurs, The Dispatch previously reported.
The incident prompted local, state and national leaders, including Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, Gov. Mike DeWine and President Joe Biden, to condemn bigotry and hate.
The Rev. Victor M. Davis, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church and one of the Saturday march’s organizers, said he and his congregants were stunned but not surprised to see last weekend’s demonstration.
“We wanted the world to know that Columbus is a place to live that is safe, that is a place that we will not stand for racism and hatred that is a place of love,” Davis said.
The Jericho March, whose participants included NAACP Columbus President Nana Watson and City Attorney Zach Klein, was one of several counterdemonstrations held in the past week in response to the neo-Nazis. 100 Black Men of Central Ohio, a group of Black community leaders and citizens, walked the same route Sunday that the neo-Nazis had taken the day before. Davis said he felt it was important for the church to speak up, too.
“Too often, the church is silent,” he said. “And every movement in America that has been for racial equality and the correct treatment of humans has started in the church, so the Christian church has spoken today.”
The Jericho March followed the same route the neo-Nazis walked last weekend, down North High Street into the Short North from Goodale Street to Hubbard Avenue, less than a mile round trip back to the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral.
With no chants, microphones or noisemakers, the quiet march appealed to many of the marchers.
“I love that it’s a peaceful response,” said Jeanne Purcell, 70, a congregant at Trinity Baptist Church, who carried a sign with the message: “WE LOVE OUR DIVERSE CITY AND EACH OTHER.” “I’m trying to lead with love.”
Columbus Police Cmdr. Justin Coleman agreed: “Their message was silent. And silent has always been a positive thing. But I think we all know why they were here — solidarity.”
U.S. Army veteran Jamie Shelton carried a large Black Lives Matter banner during the march. “I’m just a veteran trying to fight injustice,” he said. “It’s one of my passions. And nothing changes if you sit on the sidelines.”
Shelton, like others, missed the beginning of the Ohio State-Indiana football game: “You can always rewatch the game, but some things are bigger than sports.” As he carried his Black Lives Matter flag, a passerby shouted at him, “No, it doesn’t!” in response to his flag.
Shelton just ignored him: “He didn’t deserve a response.”
The neo-Nazi march, on the heals of President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the Nov. 5 election, was unsettling and motivating to many of Saturday’s participants. The march was in an area of the city where about eight in 10 voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election, according to a Dispatch review of Franklin County voting data.
“It was daunting. It was kind of a heavy moment to see that,” said Tamara Staley, who was among 15 others with Delta Theta Sigma sorority.
Staley said her sorority is rooted in public acts of service. Delta Theta Sigma first marched in 1913 as the newly founded sorority marched in the Woman Suffrage Procession down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington. It felt only right, she said, to march down North High Street on Saturday.
“Us being here today shows that we stand in unity with one another,” Staley said. “We want to show that it shouldn’t be about one party or another. It should be about all of us embracing one another with our diversity, culture and backgrounds.”
“Especially given the Nazi march last week, it’s important to come out,” said Tommy Liszkay, who sported an Eddie George Buckeye’s jersey. “I think a lot of people were saying, ‘Oh my gosh, what’s going on in Columbus, Ohio?’ We support the people that the Nazi’s were calling out on their bullhorns. We have their back.”
Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter for The Columbus Dispatch. Sign up for Extra Credit, her education newsletter, here.
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