These events are in response to the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Tay, Ahmaud Abery, and many other black men who were killed this year by police or vigilantes. Clarksdale and other cities in the state, including Tupelo and Meridian, Jackson, Gulfport and Tupelo, Tupelo and Meridian, Jackson, have also organized rallies and protests against the police brutality, racism and discrimination in the criminal justice system. Many people are asking themselves why they are protesting. Arekia Bennett, a long-standing community organizer who mentored students at a Jackson protest on Saturday, said “Why are we so mad?” “But the truth is that black folks in Mississippi have been fighting the fight for a very long period, and black people in Jackson are fed up with it,” said Arekia Bennett, a long-standing community organizer and mentor to students planning a protest in Jackson on Saturday. Protests focus on Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s decision not to bring charges against Canyon Boykin (a white officer who shot and killed Ricky Ball in a Columbus traffic stop in October 2015). Calvert White (20), a co-organizer and rising junior at Alcorn State University, said, “It could happen to anybody. “Our goal is to make people aware that lynchings don’t just happen during civil rights, they still happen.” Taylor Turnage, White, Maisie Brown and Maisie Brown are co-organizers of the Jackson Black Lives Matter Mississippi demonstration in downtown Jackson. The Governor’s Mansion will host the event on Saturday, at 3:00 p.m. Participants will start at the Governor’s Mansion on Saturday, March 3, and then move northward to the Mississippi State Capitol. “We hope to act as a buffer between civilians, the powers that are, particularly (Gov.) White stated that Tate Reeves was his target. “Because it is so complicated just to get him, so we have to be seen. “We have to create our own space.” The organizers hope that Saturday’s protest will only be the beginning. They hope it will inspire action from both state and local leaders. While Floyd’s death has been condemned by the governor, protesters said that they would like for his actions to be in line with his words. Brown, 18 years old, a Jackson High School graduate, said that he wants the governor to take care of people who look similar to him. “That’s exactly what I want Tate Reeves do. “Don’t talk to us, do for us.” The group issued a call to actions asking people to support Black Lives Matter bail fund and hold their community leaders accountable. They also asked them to vote and to educate themselves. Separately, the group has a list that demands the removal of Confederate symbols, memorabilia and reopening of the Ricky Ball case. It also asks for the reduction of state prison populations and the inclusion of public health in decisions regarding schools returning to school in the fall due to the coronavirus. You can view the complete list here. White stated that “Black Lives Matter” is not a movement only for black people. “It’s more focused on exploring the power dynamics among black and white people especially in Mississippi.” Yasmine Malone, a student at the University of Mississippi, and Tyler Yarbrough (an organizer) expressed similar sentiments. They cited “power” as the reason behind the protest. Yarbrough stated that the rally could not be “strictly a protest” because Clarksdale is a predominantly African town in a predominantly Black region. It needed to be something more: an empowerment rally. Malone stated that he sees it as less of a protest than a rally. He believes protest is more reactionary and not something that will have lasting effects. The co-organizers were keen to include other issues that affect the Mississippi Delta, while honoring the lives and sacrifices of black men who were shot by police officers. Yarbrough, a native of Clarksdale, and Malone, a co-organizer, saw how inequitable system of poverty, education, criminal justice and food access impacted their families, friends and the entire region. These issues were a major influence on the decision of the students to attend the University of Mississippi and do advocacy work for their communities. Yarbrough stated, “We want the space to call out those systems, call those problems out, and empower communities so that they can one, reimagine these systems. two, acknowledge that they are systems. and three, unite and unify in this time we’re living in.” The rally will take place in Clarksdale at 5 p.m. Saturday. It will feature a line-up, a voter registration drive and 2020 Census drive. There will also be a march that mimics the civil rights initiatives of civil rights activists such as Vera Mae Pigee or Aaron E. Henry in the 1950s and 1960s. Malone stated, “I think that I’m excited for the moment when we have people to gather in a smaller space and a larger variety of spaces where we talk about community problems and arm the people.” “If this is an opportunity to arm the people, the next meeting is a chance for people to arm themselves with knowledge,” Malone said. The peaceful march was held in Cleveland on Wednesday, June 3. It took place after Bishop Carey Sparks organized an event that had been intended to be a prayer vigil. About 200 people attended the event to hear religious leaders, students from college and a county supervisor discuss racial inequalities and civil rights. Sparks stated that he wanted Cleveland to be a role model. Sparks stated, “I wanted us to be displayed in a positive light of where (holds a protest) is and make it look good, not loot.” Sparks organized the demonstration due to Floyd’s passing, as well as long-held racist policies, and his own experience of discrimination. He said that he felt the evening was peaceful and loving. “I wanted it about healing. Sparks stated that she wanted the event to be about Cleveland’s improvement. Although Mississippi has a history of organized protest and demonstrations, civil rights veteran Leslie Burl McLemore views this moment as exceptional. McLemore stated that he sees many parallels between the 1960s, when he was organizing and marching as an activist, and today. McLemore stated that there are also fundamental differences. “The young people on the streets today are more integrated because you have more participation by non-black people to the marching.” McLemore continued, “And quite frankly we’re at an entirely different point in world history.” We had a national and global impact in the 1960s but not to the same extent as the current movement. But that was only compared to what it has seen over the past two weeks. McLemore stated that he believes it is a new phenomenon. He used the public outcry about Drew Brees’ recent condemnation for athletes kneeling during anthem to illustrate his point. “My main point is that we are in a unique moment of world history. These marches and demonstrations have been ongoing for many days. I don’t know when they will stop. McLemore stated that he hoped the marching would continue for the next few days. He continued, “Because it is clearly good for our nation.” The marching is beneficial for all people. The marching brings up issues we have not discussed. We hope that these discussions will lead to some action. After all, we cannot just talk but have to also act. Our reporters give a human face to policy’s impact on everyday Mississippians by listening more closely and understanding their communities. To ensure that our work is aligned with the priorities and needs of all Mississippians, we are listening to you. Click the button below to let us know what you think.