Moms United for Black Lives hold protest in Lake Oswego

PORTLAND — A group of moms who have been a steady presence at Portland Black Lives Matter protests took the demonstration to one of Portland’s whitest and most affluent suburbs on Sunday morning, calling for an end to racism and hate.

The Moms United for Black Lives group, helmed by local activists including Demetria Hester and Danialle James, led a group on a march at Lake Oswego’s Rossman Park and through the city.

On her Facebook page prior to the March, Hester said the march was about showing Lake Oswego residents that Black lives matter all the time, and about making racists uncomfortable.

This is the second protest this month Hester has led in the Clackamas County suburb, which according to U.S. Census data is 86% white and has a median household income of about $100,000.

The previous protest on Oct. 3 was billed a “Center Black Voices” march, and demonstrators stood in downtown Lake Oswego, chanting messages of support for the Black Lives Matter movement as people dined and shopped.

On Sunday, Hester gave a brief speech talking about the importance of supporting each other and encouraged people to call out instances of racism in their own communities. The moms then led a group of protesters on a march through Lake Oswego’s streets, chanting “Black Lives Matter,” as four marchers at the front of the crowd played drums.

Several journalists reported that there were right-wing counter-protesters at the scene Sunday.