After the summer of protests, what’s next for the Black Lives Matter movement?

From Troy to Lake George, from Bethlehem to Saratoga Springs, not a single week passed in the summer of 2020 in which citizens did not hold at least one protest to demand racial reckoning and profound systemic change. Some of those calls were answered, perhaps most notably with the repeal of 50-a, which had prevented the disclosure of personnel records of correctional officers, firefighters and police officers.

The region has been the scene of demonstrations before: Albany, the state capital, is the base of operations for several public employee unions that gather thousands of people each year to march in protest against threats of state budget cuts or policy changes. .

But the protests of the summer were different and long-lasting. Organized by a much more flexible coalition of activists, the demonstrations took many forms and focused on a wide variety of issues ranging from white-centered school courses and police brutality to unfair housing practices and, in one case, a demonstration against a Schenectady ice cream parlor whose operator was accused of using racial slurs. Veterans of the local push for civil rights in the 1960s were impressed by the efforts of protesters and organizers.

But as summer turned into fall and beyond, the movement for black lives became less defined by its visible and audible protests as activists channeled their energy into other initiatives to dismantle systemic racism and violence. white supremacy.

“I feel like the George Floyd murder was really like the Big Bang for this year’s round of organizing and really understanding Black Lives Matter,” said Clyanna Lightbourn, civil rights organizer for Citizen Action of New York.

“We are looking at different systems and ways to help communities evolve from that. Some people choose to go for a policy or run for office and try to affect the way things work that way, some people are directly entering the community through the 518 Free Store or Free Food Fridge, as well as the upcoming murals. all over Albany. People are definitely using their talents and interests to give back to the community. “

Lukee Forbes was one of the activists who appeared at almost every protest during the summer, often leading chants with a megaphone in hand. While the protests were educational, he said, he eventually wanted to focus more of his energy on addressing one aspect of systemic racism: housing.

Forbes was certified by the Affordable Housing Partnership of the Capital Region to become a homeowner, and is now working with property management companies to purchase and remodel homes along Clinton Avenue from Arbor Hill. Becoming a homeowner, he says, is a direct way to ensure that families in need are cared for and respected, rather than evicted.

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“We want to enable more modern housing within our community without having to gentrify our community and charge people excessive rent prices, where they cannot afford it,” Forbes said. “We need to allow affordable housing, or these people will be displaced.”

Meanwhile, local activist Amy Jones has focused on direct help to underserved communities affected by systemic racism.

Jones has raised more than $ 200,000 for the Radical Black Safety Fund that he launched about two years ago. The fund’s premise, he said, is to provide financial help directly to people who need it, when they need it, whether it be for lawyers, meals or a roof over their heads.

“Create equity out of thin air,” Jones said. “Within government structures and the nonprofit industrial complex, equity just doesn’t exist, and there is so much bureaucracy and associated bureaucracy.”

Jones is redoubling her efforts to create more equity in the distribution of aid as a race and justice consultant for Nacy Warner Associates. She helps nonprofits focused on social justice issues restructure the distribution of funds to erase the bureaucracy and red tape that is often attached to government grant money.

“The helping profession can duplicate damage systems that already exist,” he said. “You have to find a way to explain to your donors that we will prioritize the most marginalized and give them the help they need in the way they say they need it. Not telling vulnerable populations what they need, but listening to them. “

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With the energy and passion that surged in the wake of Floyd’s murder, concerns and questions arise about the sustainability and longevity of the movement for black lives. The sense of urgency, activists worry, may wane, particularly with the upcoming departure of President Donald Trump, who often spewed racist and xenophobic rhetoric.

“I think we’re definitely going to lose people because they’re going to think that racism is over just because Trump is gone, when racism has really gone underground in the ways we’ve experienced it,” Lightbourn said. “It wasn’t just him, and it wasn’t just his voters. It’s a system that gave him his power. “

The key to maintaining that momentum, then, is political education and conversations, activists say, which will also help hold elected leaders to account.

“This will not go away,” said Shawn Young, co-founder of All of Us. “It may not have the same momentum as 2020, but we have introduced a culture of protest, a culture of civic engagement, a culture that people are aware of now. So when things happen, there is almost an expectation of, will this group come out? And that has never been here before. “