SUNDERLAND — To mark four years since George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer, three area groups are coordinating their fourth annual standout at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 25.

“We want to keep the conversation alive in our community, that Black lives do matter,” said Sunderland Human Rights Task Force organizer Susan Triolo. “We will continue to lift up the name of George Floyd who was murdered on camera by a police officer. We also will continue to lift up the names of others who have been killed in violence by the police.”

The standout is open to the public and folks are welcome to gather at the First Congregational Church of Sunderland, 91 South Main St., at 11 a.m. for a brief program. Folks will be invited to share their thoughts on the importance of marking four years since Floyd’s death.

From there, people will march to the Sunderland Bridge for a standout at around 11:30 a.m. Those who wish to make signs for the standout may arrive at the church at 10:30. Sign-making supplies will be available.

This will be the fourth annual standout in Sunderland since Floyd’s murder, committed by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020. Alongside the annual standout, the Sunderland Human Rights Task Force also hosts weekly standouts for racial justice in downtown Sunderland each Monday morning at 8:30 a.m.

Triolo paraphrased former U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who died in 2020, and said civil rights work is a lifelong process.

“This is not the work of a day, a month or a year; it is the work of a lifetime to combat racism and lift up equity and justice for everyone,” Triolo said. “We believe another world is possible, where we can live in harmony, we can live in peace and there can be equity, where everyone has enough. … We have work to do in our society to make it better for everybody.”

The event is organized by the Sunderland Human Rights Task Force, the Deerfield Inclusion Group and the Hatfield Equity Alliance Fighting Against Racism Together.

The Rev. Randy Calvo, pastor of the First Congregational Church of Sunderland, and a member of both the Sunderland and Hatfield groups, echoed the need for more work in society to combat social injustices.

“We often hear people say to us that ‘All lives matter,’ Of course they do. That’s what my faith teaches me: each one of us is precious,” Calvo said in a statement. “The problem is, we don’t act that way. All lives can’t matter until, and unless, Black lives matter, too. Clearly, they don’t, as a glance at the headlines reveals. We still have a lot of work to do.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.