Darwin Garamszegi and Jasmine Toupin, the organizers of the 6-Foot Sit-In on Sunday June 7, 2020, have proven their passion for supporting a good cause.

The duo became fast friends in the fall of 2019 after meeting online. They decided after learning more about the injustices of black men and women around the globe that they would take matters into their own hands.

They decided that our small community of Kingsville would do its part by participating in the Black Lives Matter Movement.

In an interview prior to the 6-Foot Sit-In event, Darwin said, “When George Floyd cried out that he couldn’t breathe, his pleas ignored, and in the last moments of his life cried out for his mother, my heart broke into shards. And with every further injustice I learned about, it broke further, and my tears of pain turned into tears of rage.”

It was the feeling of rage that led Darwin to the realization that this must be what black and indigenous people have felt for decades.

“We must not be quietly ‘non-racist’ any longer. We need to be actively, and loudly ANTI-racist,” he said.

So Darwin set his mind to organizing what would become the 6-Foot Sit-In and reached out to Jasmine to join his crew. Planning the event took approximately one week for the teammates.

With the looming pandemic on top of everyone’s mind, they needed a strategy for ensuring the health and safety of all attendees.

Guidelines were noted in the event detail that all government recommendations were to be followed. Additional volunteers (Emma Crane, Claire Prowse, and Austin Klotz who also helped with making extra signs for the event) helped to draw chalked bubbles on the sidewalk 6-feet apart.

These bubbles allowed for up to five people (who were already regularly exposed to each other) to safely stand together. “Bubble jumping” was strongly advised against and lastly, those experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 were asked to stay home.

In addition, all attendees were encouraged to wear a face mask, volunteers would help to direct attendees into available bubbles upon arrival.

While Darwin and Jasmine said that the response to the planned event was mainly positive, any negative or racist comments that came up on the event page were met with “10 other voices speaking out in outrage.”

On the day of the event, support was in no short supply. Hundreds of peaceful protesters, far exceeding expectations, joined the movement raising their signs, echoing the chants in unison, and eventually marching in solidarity to Migration Hall.

When I made the comment to Darwin, “Look at this! You did this!”, he quickly looked at me and responded with, “No. George did this.” He referred, of course, to George Floyd.

In that moment you could see the genuine concern in his eyes and the hurt he felt for the inconsolable injustices that have occurred. His wish for the event was for people to go home feeling fueled by the stories of our community members and to use that fuel to educate themselves.

For Darwin, it came down to this: “People currently have two choices. Either join our cries for change or be swept away by the tide.”

In a post-event interview with Jasmine, we asked her how she felt the event went and what made it a success.

She said, “I think the communities involvement was ultimately the key to how successful the event was. While I did setup, it was community members who stepped up and brought their voices, it was our community who took the opportunity to share their stories with the megaphone.”

“All of the signs were beautifully crafted. I read a lot of educational material and statistics on some signs, and people were so open to sharing the love amongst each other. I learned so much from everyone there.

“And now the door is open for so many members of our community to have those difficult conversations with the people in our lives who don’t realize why there is such a need for change in this world. We hope to keep the ball rolling in our community and keep activism alive in Kingsville.”

Sunday, June 7, 2020, and the 6-Foot Sit-In, will be a day that our community remembers for a very long time. Kingsville has shown its strength and its desire for positive changes. And Darwin and Jasmine will become famous for their efforts in supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.

To sum up the character of these young leaders, I leave you with a quote from Otis S. Johnson: “If you believe in a cause, be willing to stand up for that cause with a million people or by yourself.”

Photos by Rylee Wallace