Individuals of all ages, race, gender and background gathered in Forsyth Park on Saturday carrying handmade picket signs and sharing a common purpose: to stand up for human rights and the preservation of American democracy.
The People’s March, a nationwide event spanning from D.C. to every corner of the country, encourages communities to turn their passions, frustrations and concerns into a collective of peaceful demonstration on the weekend prior to Inauguration Day.
“Today is first a celebration of community, of coming together, of exercising our rights to speak out for the things we believe in,” says Luisa Nolasco, community organizer for Migrant Equity Southeast. Nolasco encourages young people to stay informed, vote, join local organizations and to be passionate and speak out “even if you feel it’s not your place.”
Migrant Equity fights for social liberation and justice for immigrants and refugees across thirty counties in Georgia. The organization focuses on reuniting families, fostering fair defense cases and building stronger communities.
One Savannah resident, Joey Braverman, attended the People’s March out of concern for the future of our nation, particularly as it pertains to women’s rights, marginalized people, and the economy under the Trump administration.
Braverman reflects on her past, working in healthcare during the 2016 election, “I was supposed to go to Washington, but we had so many calls on our hotline because of the election that I stayed and manned the phone. We had a 65% increase, mostly women, who were calling because they were so frightened.” Braverman remembers those women during this rainy Saturday afternoon and emphasizes the importance of choosing power over victimization.
Cimiya McCreary, president of Young Democrats of Chatham County, recounts her journey as an organizer, inspired by the works of Michelle Obama. “I got into organizing because of hope, that a little black girl like me from Washington, DC, who ate sleep for dinner, who wore hand me down clothes, who understood the price of poverty, could be someone and do something under VP Harris’s presidential race,” says McCreary.
Cimiya inspires the crowd to practice democracy and to continue to demand freedom in the wake of the changes that are to be expected from the Trump administration.
Young Democrats of Chatham County is a local organization that advocates for young voices and community building. They encourage progressive policy within the Savannah area through monthly meetings, event participation and educating the community. Young Democrats of Chatham County can be found on Instagram and Facebook and anyone ages 14-39 is welcome to join.
Quinn Fluet, a representative for Savannah’s Democratic Socialists of America, criticizes both the Republican and Democratic party’s leadership, emphasizing their ineffectiveness at addressing key issues like women’s rights, immigrant rights and the housing crisis.
“I take no joy in watching Democrats lose to Republicans, I take no joy in watching the government turn Republican, and I take even less joy in how little some of the leadership seems to care,” said Fluet, a self-proclaimed unaffiliated voter in Georgia.
Fluet expresses dissatisfaction with the two party system and frustration at politicians who standby and refuse to enact meaningful policy whilst many Americans suffer. Moreover, he believes that the election turnout wasn’t a result of a right-wing majority within the American people, but was due to the fact that many progressive voters stayed home simply because they felt the Democratic party had failed them.Fluet inspires marchers to not comply with having their voices being dismissed by those in power.
“The solutions we need will have to come from the needs of the people and not the comfort of the donor class,” says Fluet. “In this moment of realignment, we need to be thinking about who our coalition is, because we won’t fight the type of politics that runs MAGA by pandering to billionaire donors and the oligarchy that President Biden denounced this week.”
Savannah DSA hosts a weekly mutual aid every Saturday at the corner of 37th and Waters Avenue. The organization also participates in many protests in Savannah and Atlanta and encourages people to become involved in the work that they are doing.
There is no doubt that communities all across America, including Savannah, are concerned about the current state of American democracy in the wake of the new year. However, those attending the People’s March believe in the power of coming together and letting their voices be heard, no matter who is in office.