On May 22, members of the LGBT community, activists and allies took part in the Mississippi Dignity Caravan. The caravan started with a rally at the state capitol in Jackson and ended over 200 miles away in Fulton, a small town in the northeastern corner of the state.
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The caravan was organized to challenge the Westboro Baptist Church—a notorious hate group from Topeka, Kan.—which protested outside the graduation of Constance McMillan, a lesbian high school student.
McMillan recently came to international attention when the Itawamba County School District canceled her high school’s prom to prevent her from bringing her girlfriend. After a court battle, she was then subjected to a “fake prom,” of only six students, while bigoted parents organized a private prom to which she was not invited. Her story has become a rallying point in the fight for equal rights for LGBT people.
The Mississippi Dignity Caravan was a successful effort to show that progressive people in the state are standing up. The caravan was organized by Unity Mississippi, GetEQUAL.org and dozens of other organizations within the state to celebrate the first annual Harvey Milk Day, and to present a “unified front against hate mongers,” according to Amy Hinton of PFLAG-Laurel.
Over 50 people attended the rally, which began around 9 a.m. at the state capitol. Attendees came from around the state, and ranged from the very young to senior citizens. Some were veteran activists, while others had never participated in a rally before. The atmosphere was upbeat and friendly, and the Jackson-based news channels WAPT and WLBT covered the event.
Speakers included transgender, lesbian, gay and supportive straight residents of the state; their affiliations ranged from the National Organization of Women, the Mississippi Libertarian Party, PFLAG and the First Christian Church of Jackson. Speakers stressed the need for coming out and political organizing. Founding member of Unity Mississippi and national board member of NOW Jennie Smith emphasized the state’s strategic position, saying, “If we can change Mississippi, we can change the world. It we make positive change here, think of how it will resonate across the country.”
After the rally at the capitol, the group made its way to Fulton, taking state highways, as no interstate highways reach the town. When the caravan reached Itawamba Community College campus, five Westboro Baptist Church bigots were already there, carrying signs with hate-filled inflammatory slogans. The Westboro Baptist Church is the hate group infamous for protesting at Matthew Shepard’s funeral, among other controversies.
By this time, the number of counter-protesters with the caravan had grown to around 70, with some individuals coming from as far away as Birmingham, Ala., while others were from Fulton itself.
Amy Hinton of PFLAG-Laurel noted the hospitality of the townspeople who gathered to watch the protest. Some provided coolers of water to those who had come with the Dignity Caravan. At 4 p.m., the Westboro group left, while the counter-protesters stayed on for a final rally of support and to thank everyone involved. As the rally concluded, Hinton summed up the day: “I think we all agree, this was only the beginning for Mississippi.”
