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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Members of the greater Birmingham communitygathered at Homewood Central Park for the White Homewood for Black Lives walk Aug. 4. The group walked from the park to Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church on Oxmoor Road to the crosswalk at the Exceptional Foundation and back to the park.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
These signs were used in the White Homewood for Black Lives walk Aug. 4. The group walked from the park to Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church on Oxmoor Road to the crosswalk at the Exceptional Foundation and back to the park.
There’s a new group of people who meet Tuesday evenings at Homewood Central Park to “bear witness to the truth” that Black lives matter.
White Homewood for Black Lives was started by Homewood resident Cat Cruz as a sister group to White Birminghamians for Black Lives. Cruz began walking with the Birmingham group about three years ago, and the walk was therapeutic and inviting, she said.
In the wake of the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor — who died in Minneapolis and Louisville, respectively — Cruz said she wanted to do something closer to home.
“I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before,” she said. “The infrastructure and everything was already there, so it seems like a very natural thing to do.”
The new group had its first walk July 21, and the group walked twice from Central Park to the library and back. Walkers were encouraged to stay 6 feet apart because of COVID-19 concerns. It was a silent walk, Cruz said. They didn’t have any slogans that they chanted, and they didn’t interact much with the public.
Walkers did chat among themselves some, though, and that’s part of the charm of the walk, Cruz said.
“People will see each other every week, and they’ll have things to say,” she said. “It’s very casual and friendly. ... It’s a way to build a community around people who have the same feelings about taking a stand against policies that are disenfranchising to people’s color.”
There are many ways to protest, and Cruz’s movement is different from other protests, she said.
“It’s a demonstration of what could be and what maybe is more widespread,” she said. “Our walk is an invitation for people to join into say and to reflect about the policies that are oppressive. And reflect about what’s going on. And to say, ‘I don’t want this. I don’t consent to this.’”
“We want to be a gentle invitation for discussion and for community. We’re not interested in fighting or arguing. We’re interested in inviting people to join us and be part of the conversation.”
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN MORE THAN ONE WAY
Beside taking on the task of leading weekly anti-racism walks, Cruz also makes a difference with her day job. She works at One Roof Birmingham, which is a local organization seeking to end homelessness.
Before that, she taught disadvantaged students in Oakland, California, for almost a decade. In Oakland, teachers all needed to be prepared to teach English as a second language because of the massive diversity there, Cruz said. She learned about educational inequity there, she said.
“It taught me how resilient and how much strength of spirit that students can have when they are faced with a need,” she said. “It’s inspiring to this day.”
In her last three years as a teacher in Oakland, she taught adults who hadn’t graduated and who were trying to get a high school diploma. She said this experience was the most rewarding.
“They had gone through all kinds of things, and still they were focused on getting a quality education, a good start to life and supporting their families,” she said. “These students were dealing with so many things, from being part of the breadwinners of their family ... to not being able to get through their neighborhood early in the morning, to homelessness. And they still came and they graduated.”
One of the students who came to the adult education class was Cruz’ former student from when she taught sixth grade.
“She was always amazing, but she wasn’t able to be successful in traditional school,” Cruz said. “And she graduated with honors and ended up with a union position and has a beautiful family.
“It’s amazing to me that people in general have such a capacity to push forward even when obstacles continue to be put in front of them.”
It was a great honor for Cruz to offer help to these students, she said.
“That’s all they need — just a little bit of help,” she said. “People are strong, capable and willing.”
She sees many parallels between her former students and her current clients at One Roof. Many of their biggest barriers are the stigmas people have about them, she said.
“So I’ve worked within service and within social justice movements for quite a long time in my professional career — it’s really all I’ve ever wanted to do,” she said.
Nonetheless, her venture with White Homewood for Black Lives is new to Cruz, she said.
“I’ve never thought about really focusing on the white experience and what that really means to offer yourself up as an ally,” she said.
Cruz plans on walking every week for as long as she can, she said. The Birmingham group walked almost every week for four years, although the group recently transitioned into a monthly walk amid public health concerns during the pandemic.
“I think it can keep going for quite some time,” Cruz said. “I really don’t know the longevity, but I live here, and I just want to contribute to the world that I want to live in.”
So far, it’s been received well in Homewood, she said, and she hopes it continues to be that way.
“I just want to let people know we’re inclusive to everyone,” she said. “We want everyone to come out. All are needed, and all are welcome.”
To follow the movement, visit the White Homewood for Black Lives Facebook page.
