Saturday’s Orange County Solidarity March in Irvine drew a diverse range of support from business leaders, community leaders, faith leaders and citizens. They gathered at the corner of Research and Irvine Center Drive on Saturday morning to march in solidarity, while calling for peace, calm and cooperation after the level of race relations has reached a fevered pitch nationally.
Fr. Bill Cao of St. Anthony Claret Parish represented Bishop Kevin Vann and the Diocese of Orange and spoke to the crowd about mercy and reconciliation. Rev. Mark Whitlock Jr. and Rev. Charles Dorsey of Christ Our Redeemer Church led those gathered in prayer. Among the crowd were Christians, Muslims, Jews and other faith organizations. They joined law enforcement in a rally during which chants of “Unity” and “Solidarity” were heard.
The crowd, approaching 700 according to one police officer’s estimate, then marched south on Irvine Center Drive for a little more than a mile on their way to a summit that immediately followed at Christ Our Redeemer church.