Emotions run deep at sight of 329 names written on American Tobacco Trail to remember unarmed Blacks killed by police
DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- During the weekend on the American Tobacco Trail in southern Durham, somebody or a group of people painstakingly pushed the Black Lives Matter movement a little further -- recognizing lives lost with a personal touch.
The BLM movement is spreading and evolving as well. Jogger Carol Johnson was overcome with emotion.
"I had to stop my jog. I got chills. There's so many names," she said.
There are 329 of them in fact, covering nearly a mile of pavement. All unarmed African Americans killed by police dating to 1990. This iteration includes ages of the victims and for some a brief description, quote or important note.
"It's moved me to tears this morning that somebody took time to recognize life," Johnson said.
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This is what it looks like for users of the trail like the Hasan sisters. Della Hasan is all too familiar with some of the deceased, but not all.
"This definitely helps you visualize like, wow I never heard of these names and the ages were like, 16, 36. Just understanding what was going on and how big of a scale it is on," she said.
For anyone traveling this path, it's impossible not to notice and recognize the magnitude of the problem that has outraged most of America.
"It's allowing you to see that there's more individuals with that mindset than just one, said Mebane resident Khadijah Hasan. "So, it's like many have this expression and this mindset into what's going on."
Sources are spelled out to provide credibility. The effect is so powerful it brought Johnson to a stop.
"So moving," she said. "I did four miles and I can't finish the rest it seems like. But this is wonderful. I think it needs to stop."
One person posted on the American Tobacco Trail Facebook page: "To whoever did this. Thanks."
