At least 1,000 people have been killed by police in the U.S. this year, according to the Guardian. And as of June 1, black Americans were twice as likely to be unarmed when killed by police as white Americans. The Black Lives Matter Movement was created in 2012 after the unarmed and 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was killed by the armed neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman. On December 2, 2015 a vigil was held in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement outside First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain, Boston.

Ashlee Wiest-Laird, who is a pastor in First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain, said that they organized a vigil in August after the church massacre that took place in Charleston, South Carolina. After the August vigil, many neighbors contacted First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain to express their appreciation, and said that they wanted to continue doing that. The church’s plan is to hold monthly vigils in support of Black Lives Matter.

Pastor Wiest-Laird also talked about what she thinks is part of white people’s responsibility.

Some of the people who walked by, showed their appreciation for the vigil that was held outside First Baptist Church.

Earlier this year, a Black Lives Matter sign outside First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain was first vandalized, and then stolen. The sign was later replaced.

Hundreds of people gathered in front of the Massachusetts State House on Friday November 20, 2015 to protest Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s decision in not taking in Syrian refugees. The decision is a response to the recent terrorist attacks in Paris.

The 2nd Annual Doggone Halloween Costume Parade took place in Boston’s Downtown Crossing on October 30, 2015. The event was organized by the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District.

From the HONK! Festival 2015 around Davis Square, Massachusetts on October 10, 2015.

On October 11, 2015, during the HONK! Festival, the HONK! Parade went from Davis Square to Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

A student portrait with Marwa Abdelhamid.