Mississippians turned out by the hundreds on Saturday to join sister marches in Jackson, Gulfport and Oxford, joining protesters around the world in taking to the street the day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump. MPB’s Evelina Burnett reports from Gulfport.
Carrying signs and chanting "This is what democracy looks like," hundreds of people set off on the Gulf Coast Sister Solidarity March Saturday afternoon. The one-mile route included a stretch on the sidewalk along the busy highway near the Gulfport harbor, where drivers honked and the protesters cheered.
Protesters say they joined the march because they’re worried about what might happen under the new administration, from civil rights protections to reproductive freedom to the environment.
Heidi Schattin of Biloxi says she hopes the protests begin a discussion.
"I hope that people who have are kind of afraid to speak out before will see that they are not the only ones that are unhappy, and that they’ll see that other people are unhappy too."
Kelley Morgan of Mobile, Alabama, brought her 13-year-old daughter.
"We decided to come out because we want one day for, when people say that all lives matter, for it to actually be true," she said. "So I brought my daughter so that she could be out here and know that we fight for justice."
As in other marches around the world, one of the most striking things was the size of the crowd. Audrey Duncan is from Gulfport.
"It’s amazing," she said when asked about the size of the crowd. "To know that this many people can come out, we can make change.”
Organizers estimated at least 500 people attended the march in Gulfport.
