An Alabama man has set off on a 1,000-mile journey to Minnesota where he’ll stop at the exact spot George Floyd died in a march he says is for “change, justice, and equality.”
As PEOPLE reported, Terry Willis officially started his walk on June 2 and expects it will take him approximately two weeks to reach the place where Floyd was killed while in police custody last month.
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Willis, a business owner from Huntsville, said the cross-country walk is his way of making his voice heard in the fight against racial injustice.
“When I first thought about it, I dismissed it almost immediately,” he told WTVF . “But then I kept thinking more, what can I do that’s so extreme that it will make you listen?”
Willis, who’s been live-streaming his journey to his Facebook page , is encouraging people to join him in his march for change.
He explained he was inspired to embark on the walk by his 7-year-old son, who is also the one that keeps him motivated.
“As a black father who [is] raising a black son, I feel I am obligated to do my part in making a change and better future for my son,” Willis wrote in a Facebook post prior to beginning the walk. “MARCH FOR CHANGE, JUSTICE AND EQUALITY. My voice will be heard.”
On Saturday morning, a Facebook live video revealed Willis has just officially reached the state of Kentucky.
Willis said he has not set any sort of calendar or time frame for his powerful march.
“If I get fatigued, I know how to drink water, I know how to stop and rest,” he told WHNT . “There’s no time. I’m not rushing this, I’m doing this for me and everybody else — in my way. And this my way and I will take my time and I will make it there.”
While he walks, Willis is being followed by a pace car and has been frequently joined by local supporters from cities he passes through. Some police cruisers can even be seen in a few of his Facebook live videos escorting Willis through busy stretches of highway.
Willis is also raising money to go towards supporting his family while he completes his journey to Minnesota.
As of writing, the GoFundMe campaign established by his friend, Travis Bass, has raised over $12,600 which the description explains will go “towards helping him through his sacrifice of putting his business on hold, losing quality time with his son, food, shelter, and clothing to protect him from the elements.”
A portion of the proceeds will also be donated to undisclosed charities.
Willis emphasized that his peaceful protest is to help ensure a better, safer future for his young son.
As he told WHNT ,
“The history that I am going to make is definitely for him. I want him to live to grow up and not have to deal with any of this,” he said. He said the end result is simple. “I just would really love for us, African Americans — they call us black people, colored people, whatever — just for us to be seen as equals. That’s it.”
If you want to keep up with Willis’ incredible walk, you can check out the live videos he posts to his Facebook page , follow him on Instagram , or track him on the 360 app using the code XAF-IBL.
h/t: WHNT , WTVF , PEOPLE , Photos: YouTube | NewsChannel 5
