SAINT JOHN -- Thousands of people took to the streets of Saint John on Sunday to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Carrying signs and wearing masks, big crowds took to King’s Square in Uptown Saint John for a peaceful rally on Sunday afternoon.

“If we want change, it’s going to require getting uncomfortable in a way we’ve never been before,” says Kathy Young. “It’s going to require walking in integrity and when no one is watching, standing up for those that get pushed out, shoved out and excluded.”

It’s the latest in a series of similar gatherings throughout the Maritimes and the rest of the world, to denounce anti-Black racism.

“Systemic racism is in our society. We may not see it, and most of us will never experience it or live it, but some of us live it everyday,” says Ralph Thomas. “Racism is in our institutions and it does no good to deny it. It’s only through education that we as a united society can overcome it.”

The event began in King’s Square, and the crowd marched through the streets of Saint John before ending at City Hall for a moment of silence.