EMPOWERING EVERYONE
Marietta’s Next Generation Demonstrates Promise for Us All Story by Meghan Rowe | Photos provided by Lucas Martin
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s news spread of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers in May of 2020, people worldwide organized, grieved and demanded justice. Marietta was no exception. Attempting to reframe the perception of small towns as ignorant and antiquated in their politics, Marietta residents Hayla Zyla-Dennis, Jaleel Ismail and Kyleah Schaffer organized and took part in a peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstration last June. It was no small feat. The 2010 census reports African Americans make up only 1.3% of the city’s population compared to the 94% of the Caucasian population. Recent estimates show those figures have shifted to 2.2% and 93.3%, respectively. Reaching members of the overwhelmingly-white community appeared daunting, as Zyla-Dennis recalled the stress of prioritizing safety and working to dispel fear-mongering rumors of imminent looting and destruction. Yet the peaceful demonstration attracted over 1,300 citizens and raised over $780 for the Movement Black Lives fund, coming as a pleasant surprise to most. Zyla-Dennis expressed her motivation for organizing the event, though she was adamant that she not receive 32 | Summer/Fall 2021
sole credit. “I just wanted to educate people and just start conversations,” Zyla-Dennis says. “I think community in a small town’s really important. If you have this privilege, you can’t be afraid to stand up for other people.” she adds. Bearing in mind the area’s racial makeup and her own blind spots as a white person, she collaborated with Ismail to include a Black voice in an issue disproportionately affecting people of color. The son of Sudanese immigrants, Ismail discussed his experience being Black and Muslim in Marietta. Though he notes the pressure of community organizing, he believes small-town America is not a lost cause. “There’s a lot of people in small town America like trying to learn, trying to get better,” Ismail says. “There always is room to grow.” Schaffer, a sophomore at Marietta High School who spoke about her experience as a biracial resident of Marietta, echoed this sentiment. She adopted a newfound pride in her community after the rally’s success, admitting that a year ago she would have told you that small towns are too far gone. “I’m starting to see a lot more people who want the
