HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Dozens of people in Huntsville gathered Sunday evening to connect through prayer in the name of racial harmony.
Event organizer, Derrick Harris, said, "We just gathered anyone who wanted to gather to pray for our nation and to pray for our leaders, to pray for racial injustice, and to call upon the God of hope to actually bring healing."
The Prayers in the Park event was put on to shine a light on racism.
Hadiya Severin was at the event. She said, "You can't be black and not experience racism, whether it's on a large scale or a small scale. You experience it in just the way people interact with you. If I was to sit here and list off experiences, it would take all day, but I think on a more positive note, I think that in 2020, more people are more aware of it."
"We also want to listen. The church has not done what it should for a long time, and it's our job to help make sure this does not continue and that every life matters," said Harris.
Many prayers were said, including a prayer by Martin Luther King Jr.
"I think the prayers are a great start," said Severin. "Especially in the spiritual community, because as a Christian, you have to have a different perspective on things often times."
They say a change will not happen over night but believe it's conversations like the ones held at the event that are a step in the right direction.
They're hoping this event leads to more prayer and open conversation.
Marissa Hawley attended the event. She said, "A lot of people are ignorant about the situation and don't want to speak about it because it makes them uncomfortable, but for such a large amount of people to want to come out and speak about something like this, it just shows that there's hope that people actually want to learn and speak about the issues that make them uncomfortable."
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