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Newry held a very successful Civil Right rally on Saturday.. although all is not what it seems!
Hosted by Progress for People of Colour, the March, 50 years since the first 'Newry' one, took place in Newry, Pennsylvania, USA!
According to Wikipedia in the late 18th Century Patrick Cassidy, a native of Newry, Ireland and an American soldier in the American Revolutionary War, purchased three hundred acres of land in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania where he constructed a small town on the land, which he named after his home. The American Newry has a population of around 250 people! The event took place in Newry Lions Park.
Newry's famous Civil Rights on the 11th of January 1969 organised by The Peoples Democracy was a protest about high unemployment in Newry and the local councils points system for allocating houses as well as a protest against the treatment of marchers at the previous week's Belfast to Derry event.
Saturday's rally was once again about civil rights. The event was about highlighting and empowering black-owned businesses, men, women and children and was aimed at bringing strength and rejuvenation to the community.
A post on the Progress for People of Colour's Facebook, hailed Saturday's event as an incredible success. "Yesterday was the birth of a new age in Central PA - the age of unity. The age of progress. The age of diversity. Yesterday was the dawn of change in our homes, schools, churches and communities. And let there be no mistake, a change is going to come."
The post concluded "We are incredibly thankful to our allies and sponsors, who made yesterday's event possible. You gave this movement the voice it needed to continue the fight for equality, here and across the nation."
Harmony a young girl speaking at the rally said "We should all get treated peacefully, We need Justice, Treat people like you want to be treated" and added "We need peace, love, equality, justice"
Sentiment no doubt echoed fifty one years previously through the streets of Newry, County Down!
