In the past several weeks, Black Lives Matter protests and rallies have been held in cities around the country in response to police shooting deaths of unarmed African Americans such as George Floyd in Minneapolis.

On Sunday afternoon, dozens of demonstrators gathered at Eagle Lake in Holden for a protest in support of Black Lives Matter. Some speakers recounted stories of their own experiences with racism and how they overcame it.

Organizer Soudie Tahmassebipour says a lot of progress has been made to end racism, but there's still more to be done.

"The idea today was to bring the community together and to recognize that we have a lot of work to do,” Tahmassebipour said. “But we have a vested interest in coming together so the next generation isn't dealing with the same thing that we're dealing with today, and that past generations have dealt with, and we actually address it on a systemic level and come together and come to agreement on things we can do better.”

After the speaking portion of the rally, youth demonstrators went to the Holden Common, where they held a candlelight vigil. They discussed ways to make their school a more inclusive environment and how to get adults in position of authority to listen to their concerns.