By Hub City Times staff

MARSHFIELD – A group of current and former Marshfield High School (MHS) students will host “Just Justice: An educational event on BLM” – an event to address racial inequality and promote the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.

The group is being led by 2020 graduate Madison Maronde and MHS junior, Ava Sainterme.

“After the Marshfield protests supporting George Floyd and racial equality, we noticed the voices in the event were mostly white,” Maronde said. “Although the protests were a step forward, it is vital to give an opportunity for black voices to be heard and listened to.

“We also don’t want people to feel like we did protests for George Floyd and now the issue is resolved because the officers have been arrested. The truth is we all should continually care about the racial disparities the black community is facing, and we want to give an opportunity for us all to come learn more about them.

“Our main goal is to give the black community in Marshfield an opportunity to express their thoughts, share their stories and open up a conversation explaining the importance of supporting Black Lives Matter.

“Another goal of the event is to debunk certain stigmas around the Black Lives Matter movement and to show anyone can be an ally of the movement, no matter your race or political affiliations.”

Joining Maronde and Sainterme are: Joshua Gayle, Tara & Suhass Bhat, Adam Donahue, Macy Perrine, Aria Rens, Hugh Steiner, Lillie Boero, and Minh Tyler.

The event will take place July 31, 6-10:30 p.m., at Columbia Park in Marshfield. The event will consist of speakers, informational booths about the Black Lives Matter movement and black American history, entertainment, and an art sale.

Masks will be required for entrance and provided for those who may not have one.

“For this event we implore anyone from the community of Marshfield or surrounding areas to attend. However we are specifically hoping people who haven’t noticed racism in Wisconsin or people who do not support Black Lives Matter will attend. This is because it is a safe space for us all to come together to have discussions, listen to personal accounts and simply to learn,” Maronde explained

Proceeds will go to the Equal Justice Initiative and the NAACP.