Hendersonville residents gathered in War Memorial Park on Friday morning, many donning masks and carrying homemade signs, to make history and participate in a silent peace walk in response to racial injustice and allegations of police brutality nationwide.
This event was the first peace walk in Hendersonville’s history, and organizer Jennifer Miller was clear that it was not a protest.
She planned the event with the intention to bring together citizens, law enforcement and others to promote awareness without being divisive.
“Not all cops are bad, not all whites are racist and not all Blacks are criminals,” she said before the walk, asking participants to show respect to officers aiding in directing the crowd. “This is not a protest. This is a peace walk, and I want to make sure that that is clear...This is a silent peace walk.”
'Very powerful for the City of Hendersonville'
Jennifer Miller is the executive director of JSM Diversity PLLC, which aims to improve diversity and inclusion in business culture and foster equal opportunities for women, people of color and at-risk youth, according to the company.
She is also the founder of the Just One campaign, a nonprofit that stands against racism and for law and order and equality, including by organizing peace walks.
Jennifer Miller is a woman of color, a daughter of two law enforcement officers, a wife of local pastor Thomas Miller, a leader of worship and a women’s Bible study, and a mother of seven, including foster children who are not Black.
She shared, after the peace walk, that when her family considered relocating to Hendersonville, the city’s welcoming nature to their blended family sealed the deal. Now, it’s been their home for four years.
When she sat alone on a recent Saturday night thinking of something she could do as discussions of racism swirled in response to recent deaths of Black Americans, the peace walk came to mind. She also knew that she wanted to hold the event on June 19, the anniversary of the last African American slave freed from the confederacy.
“This day, the same day that slavery was abolished in the United States of America, is known as Juneteenth,” Jennifer Miller said before the crowd embarked on the .25-mile walk. “Don’t let the thoughtless words and careless posts define your character. Instead, show them that you know Him by the way that you love one another.”
The Hendersonville Board of Mayor and Aldermen unanimously sponsored and adopted a resolution earlier this month recognizing the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth and promoting “diversity and inclusion” in the city.
“We’re all here for one goal and one purpose today, and that is to show Hendersonville that we care about what’s happening in our country,” Jennifer Miller said. “I think that this is one way that we can come together as just one body with many parts.
“We’re concerned about one part that’s hurting right now, but we are all important and we’re all valuable."
Jennifer Miller was also clear in the expectation that there would be no anti-police rhetoric, that the event was not intended to be a protest, and participants should adhere to social distancing guidelines.
“It’s going to be very powerful for the City of Hendersonville to make a statement and show other people what it looks like to support and encourage and uplift one another,” Jennifer Miller said. She continued, “While we may not see the grave injustices experienced by so many other parts of the country, it’s the subtle comments and the systematic barriers that make prejudice in our own community only a stone’s throw away.
“This is a great way for us to respond to a world that is swirling with chaos and hate.”
She encouraged those participating in the walk to use the time to be “reflective.”
Peace walk: 'opportunity to be a positive influence'
Before introducing Jennifer Miller, mayoral candidate Brenda Payne reflected on growing up in the 1960s, seeing protests against racial injustice — including “the fear and the anger and the hurt” — and remarking on the similarities in society today.
As a mother, grandmother and great grandmother, Payne said, “I’m here because I want their world to be a better place.”
Jennifer Miller told The Tennessean after the peace walk that officials estimated an attendance of about 250, more than she expected would show up.
“The question that I have heard ... for weeks is, what are good people supposed to do,” Hendersonville Alderman Scott Sprouse said during opening remarks before the walk. “This is one of the things good people are supposed to do. Because when other folks want to tear down, good people stand up. And when other folks want to tear apart, good people stand together.”
The group walked together down the sidewalk on East Main Street, along a planned route to Sanders Ferry Road, ending at Drake’s Creek Park.
Respecting plans to keep the peace walk silent, participants didn’t start any chants, but many spoke amongst one another. Some drivers honked, acknowledging the walkers as they passed by.
Some carried signs, reading “choose goodness,” “liberty and justice for all,” “love your neighbor,” and “together we rise,” among others.
Troy M. Smith, a friend of Jennifer Miller's, wanted to be a part of the event that aimed to be beneficial, with no distractions for others to pay attention to the message, he said.
He believed it was important to “be a part of what’s going on,” he said, noting that the peace walk is an “opportunity to be a positive influence."
Mayor Jamie Clary said he appreciated the event's peace and quietness and credited Jennifer Miller's thorough communication with city officials while planning the event.
Although many in attendance might not agree on everything politically, “that’s not what this is about,” Clary said.
Peaceful demonstration, 'a testament of what we all can do'
“As we conclude this peace walk, this short journey may be over but our purpose and our love for one another and our drive to connect with everyone, all colors, every persuasion, doesn’t end today,” Thomas Miller said as walkers finished the route and gathered in Drake’s Creek Park. “As a matter of fact, it’s just a first step.”
Standing next to his wife, both donning Just One t-shirts with the Bible verse Matthew 5:9 printed on the front — reading “Blessed are the peace makers, For they shall be called children of God” — the local pastor referenced the Biblical figure Job and of people coming together in support.
The story is an example of what citizens can do for their friends and neighbors today, he said.
“I look around now and I see this crowd of people, all mixes, all colors, and it reminds me of Heaven,” Thomas Miller said. “Because the Bible describes Heaven as every nation and every tongue.
“I pray that our example, I pray that what we showed today, will speak against everyone who intends to bring divisiveness, everyone who wants to shout loud with anger, everyone who wants to tear and destroy and pull apart,” Thomas Miller said. “We’ve done this together, and we’ve shown, even in small part, that it can be done, and it will be done from here out.”
Thomas Miller closed the event in prayer and the crowd dispersed with officers available to help direct foot traffic across the street to their vehicles at War Memorial Park.
Jennifer Miller said the peace walk was "better than expected."
It brought the community together to acknowledge to anyone hurting that "we see them," and wasn't divisive. She hopes it opened a door for conversations about racism.
“I don’t think it’s fair for me as a woman of color to just sit in this great community and not encourage other people to create communities just like it so that they can have the same experiences, because we are all trying to have a great life and we all want to be treated equally,” Jennifer Miller said. “I hope today what we did will be a testament of what we all can do.”
Kelly Fisher can be reached at KPFisher@gannett.com, 615-801-3866 or on Twitter at @KellyPFisher.
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