MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A day after the Black Lives Matter movement shutdown the I-40 bridge, Minister Devante Hill, the man who helped organize the protest, spoke out about its impact on Memphis.
“I apologize for inconveniencing people on the bridge and if your chicken burned, I apologize. But if Dr. King was here, I think he’d be exceptionally proud.”
So who is Hill?
His website talks about growing up in a family of ministers and overcoming issues such as child abuse and depression.
He later studied at both the University of Memphis and the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville with his focus on social injustice.
“Black lives matter because all lives matter. We understand all lives matter and id goes without being said whether you’re gay, you’re bi, trans, you’re blues, your white everybody’s lives matter,” he said.
Sunday’s event attracted a crowd of about a thousand.
It was emotional and at times, tense.
Hill credits Interim Police Director Michael Rallings for keeping the peace.
“I think he showed an unprecedented amount of dedication. He showed integrity. He showed class. He marched arm and arm with me, got on the bridge and we were not moving until he got there.”
The protest was resolved peacefully with no injuries and police made no arrests.
“It shows when the Police Department sets the standard and they come with the right vibe and attitude we will do the same and reciprocate.”
Hill said the next challenge is to work with others to help stop the killings in Memphis for 30 days.
“We can’t get on the bridge and yell ‘blacks lives matter’, ‘No justice no peace’ without us having conversations on our dinner tables with our children, with our sons and nephews and say ‘you guys have got to stop.'”