Dedication Speech, May 11th 2015

Good morning.

It is my great pleasure to be speaking at this dedication ceremony. Welcome family, friends, and supporters of the lives lost to police brutality. To you we offer; this peace garden. Each flower represents an African American who lost the fight against injustice.  Carnations; for remembrance. Lilies: for youthful innocence.  Tulips: for grace.  Honeysuckles: for devoted affection.  Gladiolus for strength and a wide variety of other flowers each as symbol of the love we share for these people. We ask that you please hold all pictures until the end of the ceremony.

This ceremony is a time to remember and honor the young African Americans who lost their lives before they’d even begin. It is also a time of positivity, we ask that you please have respect for our police officers, simply because all of them are not bad guys. It is their duty to do their job, even if there are those who take advantage of it. They still risk their lives every day for US. However I cannot say this about all of them. Police brutality is thriving in the African American community today. It thrives and spreads on silence, and extorts us through coercion. But today we will not be silent. Today we will speak up and speak out for those voices that could not have been heard. Eric Garner, whose cry for help was ignored. Mike Brown: those last words are not remembered.  Deion Fludd, who was not able to speak at his own graduation.  Yvette Smith: who didn’t get to say goodbye to her son.  These four resting souls along with the other 420 who could not break the chains of injustice will never be forgotten. I don’t know how long it will take but God has promised He’ll make the wrongs, right. He will restore these lives that the police department has stolen from you, and from us.

We hope that this Peace Garden will not only serve as a memorial but also as hope for the future. That we can keep these flowers alive and under our protection just as we would if they were people like Eric Garner or Mike Brown. This garden now belongs to you, and I strongly encourage you to come and visit each chance you get. We also encourage you to spread the word of the sacred garden, and invite all your friends and family to come visit too. We have several benches for you to sit and admire the flowers, and multiple pathways for you to walk along and embrace the peace and sacredness of the garden. I would like to thank everyone who could be here today, and I hope to see you all again visiting the garden.