By Mindy Lucas
This article was edited to reflect a route change issued by the City of Beaufort.
A silent “March for Justice” will be held on Sunday, June 21, or Father’s Day, in downtown Beaufort.
The march is being organized by retired Air Force Major General Harold Mitchell, a Beaufort County native who served nearly 40 years in the military.
Mitchell recently spoke to members of Beaufort City Council, saying he had been struggling with the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis and also the Charleston church shooting in 2015 in which nine African American church members were killed by a gun man during a bible study at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.
“In 1968, after the killing of Dr. King, I’m struggling in the same way, that I’ve got to do something,” he said.
The event will begin with an assembly of participants at 4 p.m. in the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park in Beaufort. It will then proceed at 4:30, up Charles Street to Duke Street, will move to Carteret Street then back to Bay Street and the park.
Drivers should expect street closures.
Participants are asked to wear masks and be prepared to space themselves apart.
