Since the late 19th century, women have been fighting for equal treatment and equal rights. Many people still feel that a woman’s place is to be quiet, but every day, women choose to stand up and change that narrative. 
Abby Guy, a junior political science and Spanish major, stood up and changed that narrative in Starkville, Mississippi, by planning the “Fight From the South Women’s March.” The march was held on Saturday with goals to highlight and bring attention to the many issues women still face in the world today.
The march started at Fire Station Park, and Guy introduced herself and the guest speakers. Guest speakers included Kimberly Kelly, the gender studies program director at MSU; Santee Ezell, the assistant director of Health Promotion & Wellness at MSU and founder of Black Girls Rock of MS, Inc.; Morgan Gray, the president of I.D.E.A.L. Woman and Akshita Singh, the vice president of Students for a Sustainable Campus. 
As an African American woman, Gray said she wanted to bring Black women to the forefront of the march and read a personal letter to her oppressors. 
“I really wanted to represent African American women. I think that is my biggest thing to speak at this march. When we talk about feminism and women’s liberation, and we have those conversations, African American women are left out, and I wanted to take this opportunity to be in those spaces,” Gray said. “Those spaces are usually white spaces, and I wanted to not only be a voice for African American women … I wanted to be able to speak on those issues and address them in a way that is palatable as well as reflect who we are inclusively.”
Shortly after remarks from two of the speakers, the march began. Protestors chanted while walking down East Lampkin Street and University Drive, their voices and messages ringing clear. Some on-lookers stood in confusion or disbelief and some cheered with the protestors. 
Bailey Jose, a senior industrial engineering major, and Cheyanna Slack, a senior music education major, were two attendees of the women’s march.
Jose highlighted the importance of activism in Starkville.
“I just came because I think it’s really important to show the community, especially since Starkville is a small town, there are issues going on, and it’s important to spread awareness of that,” Jose said.
Slack explained that she was interested in learning more about women’s issues from the speakers at the event. 
“I came out because I wanted to hear the speakers and just learn more about different women’s issues because we’ve been talking a lot recently during women’s history month about sexual assault, and there are just so many women that have experienced it, and we really need to be paying attention to it,” Slack said.  
Even though the march didn’t highlight one specific women’s issue, it still allowed people to use their voices and come together to stand for what they believe in. 
Guy said she wanted to raise awareness of activism in the South.
“I didn’t want people to see it as an extreme form of activism. I just wanted people to feel comfortable standing up for the thing that they find important in the community,” Guy said. “Because I know when you think of activism, you think more about the North or the West because people are more outward and active there, but the South has always been a place where people have stood up for themselves, and we’ve had the most change over the past 200 years, so I just want that to continue.”
Having no experience planning an event of this magnitude, Guy managed to get the gears moving with help from a few organizations around Starkville. Strange Brew gave out water, Starkville Pride gave Guy advice for the event and Five Horizons of Starkville set up a table at the event to help educate people.
“The community really helped me out when I asked for support or participation. I’ve got really positive feedback,” Guy said. 
The march ended with speeches from the last two speakers and closing remarks from Guy.  
“The South is not a hopeless cause,” Guy said. “We may move slower than the rest of the country, but we still have people who are willing and want change to happen.”

Gallery • 1 Photos

Landon Scheel | The Reflector

A participant at the “Fight from the South” march holds a sign on Saturday.