At first glance, you do not see the Black rage seething inside her body and soul, but one can surely hear it in quiet whispers.
Demure and shy, Tramaine S. Parker doesn’t seem like the kind of young woman who would be protesting with thousands of Chicagoan for thirty blocks, after working an eight-hour shift.
When she learned of George Floyd’s murder, his death shook Parker and made her reflect on American’s lack of rights for Black people internationally. Parker is a social worker for the state.
“My mother is from Mississippi, and she marched for injustices in the South, so protesting is in my blood,” said Parker, who marched with 10,000 individuals. “We are standing on our ancestor’s shoulders. My mother and that group of people (from the 1960s) inspire me,” Parker said.
She walked alone, with no family, wearing a blue face mark and was not afraid to take a stand for justice. That particular march was “beautiful and peaceful.” Parker said that it was important to her to see an organized front that listened and followed the leader’s directions.
“Protesting gives me a voice and a peaceful approach to demand justice for Mr. Floyd and all of us,” Parker said after the march. She carefully researched and thought out which marches she wanted to take part in. After the second wave of riots and looting all over Chicago, she chose to march with the united group of clergy.
This was only her second march in Chicago, and she was surprised that it went well, despite what others had predicted. Parker was pleased that her neighbors and a few friends all connected in the crowd. “There were people from all over in this march. They drove in from the suburbs and the North side, with the idea that ‘Black Lives Matter.’ We said that during the march, but all races were there,” she said.
The looting from the previous weekend had disturbed her because some people had taken advantage of the situation in the community to steal material items for their own good. However, in the end, a huge march from the clergy gave Parker hope for change in America.
The Traveler Weekly 