‘Y’all Means All:’ Rural Organizing and Resilience dedicated to racial justice education

Asheville Citizen Times

Rural Organizing And Resilience, or ROAR, has launched a mutual aid hub operating at the Madison County Cooperative Extension Center Saturdays from noon-1 p.m. and has help staff food distributions organized by nonprofits including Beacon of Hope.

Sharing its message of “Y’all Means All” has taken on renewed importance for Rural Organizing and Resilience, or ROAR, a Madison County organization dedicated to educating the mountain community on the impacts of racism, poverty and bigotry.

“By tapping into something Southerners have pride in – y’all – the message is a reminder that an inclusive community is really for everyone, not just one type of person,” Matt Wallace, a co-founder of the group active since 2017, said in a June 4 call.

The killing of George Floyd while in the custody of police officers in Minnesota, seen by millions on cell phone video footage, has reignited engagement across the country in racial justice issues. The topic is one ROAR has been focused on for more than three years.

In addition to an annual fundraiser to bail out women of color from local jails around Mother’s Day, ROAR has led peaceful gatherings honoring the victims of racial violence on the courthouse steps in Marshall and engaged in difficult conversations on white supremacy and Confederate symbols with a primarily white audience by tabling at events like the Bluff Mountain Festival, the Marshall Handmade Market and the Mars Hill Heritage Fest.

Following the death of an anti-racism activist in Charlottesville, Va., ROAR organized a rally honoring the victims of racial violence outside the Madison County Courthouse in August 2017. Rev. Melissa Upchurch of Marshall Presbyterian Church joined the peaceful demonstration.

The group has also built close ties to Madison County Schools, leading fundraising efforts that sent 12 teachers from each of the county’s public schools on a tour of sights and museums capturing the legacy of the Civil Rights Era.

“ROAR has been a great partner with Madison County Schools,” Superintendent Will Hoffman wrote in an email.

“They were instrumental in sending teachers from across our school system on a professional development trip to Alabama from February 20-23 to explore the impact of the Reconstruction Amendments, key Supreme Court rulings, Jim Crow, and the struggle for Civil Rights. Our school system wants to do more to create an understanding of the social and legal ‘architecture’ that was created during the 100 years after Reconstruction, and the impact that system is still having on our country today.”

Before events in Minnesota refocused attention on the enduring racial divide in the U.S., ROAR dedicated its collective energy on assistance efforts for local families stressed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The group has provided volunteer support to the Beacon of Hope’s weekday food distributions, while launching its own mutual aid hub at the Cooperative Extension Center in Marshall. From noon-1 every Saturday, volunteers offer free food boxes, serving upwards of 15 families every week.

Events in Minnesota have turned ROAR’s attention back to its racial justice mission.

While peaceful protests in cities across the country have reengaged activism around racial justice, the message has been lost to some amid scenes of violence and looting.

Asked what he would tell Madison County residents turned off by property destruction and acts of violence, Wallace said, “Don’t let that distract you from where the anger and hurt is coming from. These protests are coming from just day after day of police violence against communities of color. That’s what we need to keep eyes focused on. The protests are coming from a genuine grievance around a genuine problem that does need to be changed in this society.”