Midway Chalk Day for Racial Justice leaves messages of support and hope on sidewalks all over town

The title of Sam Cooke's 1964 civil-rights anthem was one of the many messages written in chalk on Midway sidewalks.
(Unless noted, photos are by Herman Daniel Farrell III, as posted on the Midway Musings page on Facebook)

Dozens of adults and young people chalked anti-racism messages on Midway's sidewalks Saturday, in a project that organizers hoped would make the town part of a national movement and strengthen its race relations.

The project was the idea of MJ Farrell, 18, who told the Messenger that she wanted to give an outlet for expression by people who want to join the national protest movement but don't want to attend events "due to fears of covid or fears of danger."

"I knew there was a lot a support throughout Midway and I just didn’t know how to gather that support," she said. Her first idea was "a small, silent protest" downtown, but decided against that because of the pandemic.

She said she thought a chalking project "would be a very covid-friendly means for people to show their support," and one that would last longer than a silent protest. (Rain may come Tuesday.) "It's a way to show each other we’re a very supporting and we're a very strong community." 

She publicized the Midway Chalk Day for Racial Justice on the Midway Musings page on Facebook, and with the help of Jenny Gregory, Jack Rock and Sophie Hill put flyers about it "on almost every doorstep in town."

Farrell said at least 50 people participated in chalking Saturday, led by a group of 15 young adults who did the downtown sidewalks. She said other sidewalks were done primarily by adults and their children.

"A lot of people of color participated in the project, which I was really happy about," said Farrell, who identifies as white; her father, Herman Farrell, identifies as African American, and her grandfather was from Jamaica.

Milan Bush, an African American who lives in Lexington but spent part of her childhood in Midway and still has family here, joined the effort.

"I thought it was an awesome idea," Bush, 36, told the Messenger. She said she brought her sister and her son, 16, and her daughter, 11, who have been involved in protests in Lexington.  

Bush is a teacher. She said that when she saw a piece of chalk art in a hopscotch pattern, reminding her of the children she has worked with, she got emotional, and that's when she encountered Farrell, whom she remembered as a student.

Farrell recalled, "She was sort of in tears and said 'I didn’t think I was going to get so overwhelmed about this.' It showed that were are all making change in people's lives and affecting people."

Bush said the project "evoked some feeling" about a town where she was the only black girl in her kindergarten. "We're making progress," she said. "It goes back to reaching out and relating and knowing your neighbors and that what's Midway has always represented."

Midway's population is 11 percent African American. Farrell said relations between the races in Midway are good, but could be deeper and broader. She said as she rode her bicycle in a predominantly black neighborhood, "I realized I never really come over here very much."

She added, "I really hope people can learn from this and people can come together."

Photo by Marcie Christensen

Photos by Dan Roller, from Midway Musings