Women's march really shows the Fight from the South
Women and allies took to the streets of Starkville on Saturday afternoon to bring light to all of the issues women face across the world. Abby Guy, a junior at Mississippi State University, organized the first ever women's march in Starkville in conjunction with Starkville PRIDE.
Her mission was simple: bring awareness to the issues women face daily.
“It is crucial and healthy to investigate one's identity and learn the privileges and uncomfortable parts,” Guy said to the crowd. “I participated in demonstrations on campus to support women who have experienced sexual assault or harassment, I changed my major to pursue a political science and gender studies degree.”
Guy was inspired by one of her teachers taking their class throughout the campus and chanting for awareness on the AIDS epidemic and by attending the march for George Floyd last summer in Jackson. She wanted to have something here for women's issues, and thus the Fight from the South Women's March was born.
There were four speakers at the march which started and ended at Fire Station Park. Dr. Kimberly Kelly, a gender studies scholar and sociologist who focuses on feminism in the South, spoke and challenged Christians in the South to show the compassion and love the religion is about to everyone who is different.
Santee Ezell, the founder of Black Girls Rock of Mississippi and Assistant Director of Health Promotion and
Wellness at MSU, spoke about challenging privilege and making people around the community and even within families uncomfortable with bigoted and racist ways of thinking.
“There is so much Mississippi has to do in order for us to be free, and so don't just march for today,” Ezell challenged. “I want you to think of what you're doing on a personal and professional level. It is very important. How are you being held accountable and how are you holding those around you accountable? How are you taking action but how are you also being an advocate? You are marching for something that is very important, that is impacting so many women across the world.”
After Ezell spoke, the march began down Lampkin Street to City Hall then back
down Main Street and University Drive to Fire Station Park. Marchers could be seen with their signs escorted by Starkville Police Department. They chanted phrases like, “The South is not a lost cause!” and “Trans rights are human rights!”
When they got back to the park, Morgan Gray, a Starkville native and senior History major at MSU, took the stage at the Cadence Bank Pavilion to speak out against the violence and oppression Black women face. Gray spoke with conviction about the way Black women have been treated despite doing so much for their communities all throughout history.
The final speaker of the event was Akshita Singh, a senior Biological Sciences major at MSU. Her focus was on environmental racism and how it affects farmers and communities of color.
Guy would love to do this again in the future and appreciates all of the community support for the event.
“i'm so grateful for everyone here and that we were finally able to do this,” Guy said. “The speakers we got were amazing, and everyone is so ready to help and be involved.”