Black Lives Matter Nashua and Black Lives Matter Manchester will be participating in the Commitment March with Reverend Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, the families of Breonna Taylor and Eric Garner, and thousands more in our nation’s capital this upcoming Friday to commemorate the anniversary of the historic 1963 March on Washington.

This would be an ideal opportunity for the supposed leader of the free world to join activists from around the country in solidarity with victims of state-sanctioned violence. Instead, Donald Trump has chosen to evade calls for accountability and justice at his doorstep in favor of yet another campaign stop in our home state.

This is no coincidence. Last month, Black Lives Matter chapters in Nashua and Manchester launched a coalition of local activists and allied organizations to deliver a clear message to the president and his supporters: hate has no home in New Hampshire. Trump was ultimately forced to abandon his rally, citing a tropical storm that made no landfall in the Granite State. And now, in the midst of a global pandemic that is disproportionately killing Black people and an ongoing national crisis of police brutality, the president continues to pledge allegiance only to himself.

While Donald Trump will undoubtedly use this planned appearance to spew hatred and embolden white supremacy in our backyard, we will continue to advocate for the most vulnerable of our marginalized communities. We will continue to say the names of Breonna Taylor, Nina Pop, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, Jacob Blake, Treyford Pellerin, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Elijah McClain and others.

We will continue to demand justice for all oppressed people until it has been served.