Three Haverhill High Students Seek Public Support for Peaceful Saturday March

An informational flyer being distributed publicly.

Three Haverhill High School students are organizing a public march and motorcade this Saturday to honor George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Alice Marvin, who will become a senior in the fall, says the students plan a peaceful march beginning at 12:30 p.m., between Trinity Stadium and GAR Park, near the Haverhill Police Station on Bailey Boulevard. She tells WHAV she was moved by what she has learned since Floyd’s murder while in police custody and the impacts of racism on people close to her.

“My best friend is a person of color and my boyfriend is also a person of color. So, after seeing the recent events, it really opened my eyes to the things that have been going on to them for so long,” she explains.

Marvin, joined in organizing by freshman Gretchen Fieldhouse and sophomore Ambriel Mayhew, says the experience has been an emotional one.

“I’m sure, along with everyone, it just made me so angry and upset that, even after all the change the world has been through, it’s still happening,” says Marvin.

Marchers are being asked to wear long sleeve black shirts, pants, masks and eye protection. They are also being advised to bring any snacks or water they wish. Marvin said a limited number of masks will also be available for those who don’t have one. Social distancing along the route is encouraged. For those in a high-risk group, she said there will also be a car procession. The students are receiving assistance from Andy Polanco, Violence Intervention Prevention organizer at Haverhill High School.

This isn’t Marvin’s first experience in trying to enact change. She says she is involved in the school’s Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) team which organized the Haverhill March for Peace. She has also helped conduct trainings in middle schools around diversity and racism.

“I think we really need to start not only doing it in our own lives, but doing bigger things like making marches like these and really using our voices to make change,” she says.

Haverhill Police are in support and plan to close streets along the route.

The Mount Washington Alliance is supporting the effort with sign-making today, from 1-3 p.m., at Swasey Field, Swasey Street, and tomorrow, from 2-4 p.m., at Riverside Park, Lincoln Avenue. Some supplies will be provided and social distancing will be practiced.

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