When Serena Sevasin ’22, Mimi Duncan ’22, and Jaylen Antoine ’22 stepped up into the bed of a pickup truck in the parking lot next to Memorial Fieldhouse and prepared to address the crowd of thousands of people, they knew they were experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Despite having never planned a protest before, these rising juniors and members of the Black Student Union (BSU) struck a chord with the community, organizing the largest Black Lives Matter protest in Tacoma during the summer of 2020.
In their own words, they reflect on the impact of the protest, what it means to give voice to the concerns of Black students on campus, and where they hope the movement goes from here.
A lifelong resident of Tacoma, Duncan is co-president of Puget Sound’s Black Student Union and is pursuing a major in history with a minor in politics and government.
“I feel like it happened so quickly. There was a moment when we occupied the intersection at Sixth and Division and I looked back and couldn’t see the end of the line. To see that many people come out to support Black lives and affirm the statement that Black lives matter was unexpected. It was such a moment of solidarity, community, empathy, and unity. At Wright Park, one of my good friends sang ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ by Sam Cooke. To feel those lyrics in that moment was healing. There’s still generations of work to do that we have to commit to doing if we want to see tangible change.”
