ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – A year ago this week, Lynchburg windows were broken, tear gas was used, and crowds marched on the street. The week of protest followed the death of George Floyd, and a year later Rev. Dr. Carl Hutcherson a glimmer of progress in the city.
“You know, I would like to think we have that,” he said on Tuesday.
Hutcherson, President of the Lynchburg Chapter of the NAACP, points in particular to the increased dialogue with the Lynchburg Police and the new diversity positions created last year.
“That was necessary because there are so few colored people in management positions in our city,” he said. “You need some pepper in the salt.”
But, according to Hutcherson, this drive for change has been neglected in other ways.
“There are so many new young faces and voices in the Black Live Matter group that participated last year. We haven’t seen a lot of these young people since then, ”he said.
Looking to the future, the experienced civil rights activist says the focus must be on the economic development of the black community.
“We continue to work to build the black business in our community,” he said.
Progress that must go hand in hand with the city guides.
“We need to see how our new city managers react to taking on a leadership position in Lynchburg,” he said.
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