When Makalah Chapman goes shopping, she usually makes sure not to bring anything larger than her hand wallet. She does this because she’s accustomed to being racially profiled and watched more closely than other customers.
As a Black woman in Newport, she said she routinely faces many forms of racism. This discrimination is one of the reasons why she and her sister, Lanier Chapman, decided to organize Saturday’s protest in the North End neighborhood of Newport.
“Anything that happens in Newport, we feel like (the) downtown area gets covered. Even when, like, tourists come here, they never see the North End,” Makalah Chapman said. “And there’s a lot of talent, and a lot of just beautiful kids that live out here that kind of get silenced, in my opinion. And they want to be heard too. They’re tired too.”
Newport police estimated that the demonstration drew a couple hundred people. It began with speeches in Miantonomi Park. Protesters then marched downtown to the steps of the Murray Judicial Complex.
In addition to criticizing police violence, several locals took the stage at Saturday’s protest to call attention to racism in educational and professional opportunities. Lanier Chapman said she saw this play out in Newport’s schools.
“I’ve blatantly seen teachers hand out certain job applications to McDonald’s or whatever — and there’s no shame in that — but telling kids that’s all they’re going to be,” she said.
Last weekend, Black Lives Matter Rhode Island organized a protest in Newport that drew roughly 2,500 people. Makalah and Lanier Chapman said Saturday’s protest created a space for local Newport youth to feel like their voices were heard too.
