As news of a canceled Tennessee House floor session spread around the state Capitol, a number of activist organizations cheered and clapped as they marched a “Jericho march” around the building in opposition to a number of bills before the legislature.
Nearly 200 people marched from First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill to circle the Capitol in imitation of the biblical story of Jericho, when Israelites marched around the city until it crumbled to the ground.
“We did that,” said Rachel Goodwin, director of Power-building at The Equity Alliance, referencing the House session cancellation to rally the crowd. “We shut that down!”
The demonstration was organized by The Equity Alliance and attended by over 15 groups like the Save Tennessee State University Coalition Committee, Awake, Moms Demand Action, Rise and Shine TN and others.
Signs decrying gun violence, abortion restrictions, lack of voter support, Christian nationalism, the recent legislation vacating the Tennessee State University board and more could be seen as speakers spoke against a slate of issues.
“Vote for people over party politics,” said Dr. Katrina Green, an emergency medicine doctor in Nashville, who spoke on the importance of accessible health care. “Because right now in Tennessee, politics is literally killing us.”
As demonstrators placed blue tape on their arms and over their mouths — signifying support for TSU — one protestor, Bailey Jones, vice president of the Wilson County Young Democrats, held a sign that said, “Tennessee denied me a life-saving abortion, but my rapist is still free.”
“I had an abortion in early March — it was a wanted pregnancy,” she said, visibly emotional. “But I found out my daughter had passed away. And I was forced to wait five weeks to get a dilatation and curettage. I could have gone septic. I could have died and left my kids without a mom. And the laws are so complicated that I almost couldn’t get a D&C for my child who had already passed away. And I was sexually assaulted in 2019 — the person who assaulted me is still free. He never saw the inside of a jail cell. That says a lot about how they care about women.”
A number of elected officials, including Reps. Gloria Johnson, D- Knoxville, Justin Pearson, D-Memphis and Torrey Harris, D-Memphis, attended the event.
“We’re literally passing legislation up here every single day that makes Tennessee less safe," said Johnson, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. "And it’s time for them to start listening to the people about what they want, and not listening to the special interests that are guiding everything the MAGA Republicans do.”
The USA Today Network - Tennessee's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners.
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