Youth lead bridge walk honoring John Lewis
A total of 250 marchers braved a chilly wind March 7 in the first symbolic John Lewis Indian River Inlet Bridge Walk.
The youth-led march marked the anniversary of the 1965 walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge by members of the civil rights movement including the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis in Selma, Ala., to protest voter suppression. The walk was part of the effort that ultimately led to passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Lewis was a civil rights activist and leader who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th Congressional District from 1987 until his death in 2020.
Working with guidance counselor Joel Simon, students from Cape Henlopen High School and the Seaside Jewish Community's Multifaith Youth Group started planning the event in January. Preregistered walkers trekked from the the Delaware Seashore State Park parking lot at the inlet north across the bridge, then circled around and walked south back to the parking lot.
"This idea was born after a group of multifaith teens viewed the documentary ‘Good Trouble’ based on John Lewis' extraordinary life in public service," said student Rylie Maedler, one of the walk organizers. "Although much progress has been made since the ‘60s, we are still walking for full equality, to end voter suppression and preserve our democracy."
Simon, who is also president of Seaside Jewish Community, said students started meeting via Zoom in January to discuss issues, including racism. He said the idea of a bridge walk came up and it struck a cord with all of the students.
With assistance from the Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice, the idea started to become a reality, he said. The groups met via Zoom at least six times before the event.
Besides all of the other logistical planning, under the COVID-19 state of emergency, outdoor gatherings are limited to 250. “We had to have everyone register, and we maxed out. We could have easily had 500 walkers,” Simon said. “We wanted to make sure this was a youth-focused march, so we registered more kids than adults. And we made sure they led the march.”
Simon said they raised more than $4,000 in donations, with Schell Brothers paying for face masks, the alliance funding the posters, and student-designed T-shirts paid for with donations.
“It was phenomenal with so much support from the kids and community,” he said.
The groups are looking to make the walk an annual event each March 7. In addition, a social-action group has formed at the high school.
The students were supported by a number of community organizations including Seaside Jewish Community, Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice, Sussex County League of Women Voters, CAMP Rehoboth, Women’s March Sussex, Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Islamic Society of Central Delaware, Pacem In Terris, and Epworth, Faith and Israel United Methodist churches.
