Marching for change

BY MICHELE MILLER
Editor, What’s What New Port Richey

June 2020

It was hot and steamy and the COVID-19 numbers were surging in Florida. Maybe not the best time to be joining the protest movement.

But standing up for something you believe in isn’t always convenient or safe. So Judy Spaeth, 68, made a sign and donned a mask and headed down to the corner of Main and Lincoln, where a crowd was gathering for the Juneteenth March for Change.

Judy Spaeth, 68, joins other marchers in the Juneteenth March for Change held Saturday in downtown New Port Richey
PHOTO | MICHELE MILLER

“It’s something I’ve been thinking about,” Spaeth said, while waving to passing motorists. “I felt like I was being called to make a sign. I thought I should be doing something. It’s time to get out, even with the mask.”

“We march for peace, not hate. We’re all marching in solidarity with each other because we love each another, said Marlowe Jones as the gathering took their first steps toward U.S. Highway 19 around 2:30 p.m. Saturday, with plans to finish up with an assembly and speakers in Sims Park.

“Now, say their names,” he said, as the marchers answered back.

“George Floyd.”

“Breonna Taylor.”

“Now wave to the paddle boarders,” he called out, as the marchers crossed over the Pithlachascotee River. “Black Lives Matter!”

Jones, who organized the Juneteenth March for Change with various community leaders, said he was pleased with the turnout and the diversity among those who showed up.

“We have people of all stripes, color and ages,” he said. “This is about love and peace and fighting the systematic racism that exists here in Pasco County.”

Jones, 29, is the founder of the Pasco Young Revolutionaries, an organization that is getting the word out these days about the local Black Lives Matter local movement, sometimes with a bullhorn.

Marlowe Jones leads a the Juneteenth March for Change held Saturday in downtown New Port Richey. Jones, 29, is the founder of the Pasco Young Revolutionaries.
PHOTO | MICHELE MILLER

His family moved from Decatur, Georgia to the Pine Hill section of Port Richey during the great migration of the 1920s.

“It (Pine Hill) was the only area African Americans could move to around here, ” he said.

“They didn’t want to pick cotton any more. They came here because the citrus industry was big back then, and there was work here,” he said, adding with a smile that the march was being held on what would have been the 100th birthday of his grandmother, Dorethea Arline.

Assisting with the event was Dan Callaghan, “an old Irishman” who serves as secretary for the African American Club, and helps coordinate the annual Martin Luther King Jr, celebration there.

“It’s a time for huge change and I think we’re ready for it,” said Callaghan, as he stood on the corner of Main Street and U.S. Highway 19.

It’s not going to be easy, though, he said. “Pasco is a pretty red county so I think we’re in for a challenge.”

Standing nearby was Mindy Melemed, who had heard about the march from a friend on social media.

Having forgotten her umbrella, she found a small patch of shade to retreat to, marveling as the cries for justice around her were punctuated by the sound of honking horns as drivers made their way north on US. Highway 19, or east on Main Street.

“So many people are honking and waving and it’s very heartening,” she said. “This is so important. The human necessity of this movement is monumental.”