ROCKINGHAM — A group of around 50 Richmond County residents gathered at the county Health Department parking lot and walked in the evening heat to the steps of the old courthouse for a prayer rally Sunday afternoon.
Sheriff James Clemmons, along with Rockingham Police Chief Billy Kelly, walked with the group.
The rally comes in the wake of the death of George Floyd, who died while being detained by police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Floyd's death, which was caught on camera, sparked more than a week of protests and riots nationwide.
The four officers involved in the incident have been fired and criminally charged.
Many pastors delivered prayers and there were several guest speakers, including Dobbins Heights Mayor Antonio Blue.
Longtime educator J.C. Watkins also spoke about black contributions to society and his experience in first trying to vote.
“...I tried to register to vote in this county and I was told by the registrar that white folks have been runnin’ this thing all the time, ‘Why do you want to vote?’” he recalled.
The following year, Watkins said he was the first black person to vote in Rockingham.
“And that came about because of the death of Martin Luther King,” Watkins continued.
