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January 24, 2017
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January 24, 2017
Kazli Sullivan spent her Saturday marching through the French Quarter in New Orleans making her voice heard.
Sullivan was surrounded by thousands of fellow protesters at the Women’s March in New Orleans, part of a series of marches across the world aimed at protesting President Donald Trump, who was inaugurated on Friday. The New Orleans Police Department estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people attended the rally in New Orleans, with funny, provocative signs calling for action and solidarity.
Sullivan, née Pellegrin, grew up on Whiskey Bayou and attended Vandebilt Catholic High School. She works in the film industry in New Orleans during the week before heading home to Baton Rouge to be with her husband on the weekends. She was on hand at the march with a sign saying “Grab this you p***y,” a reference to a recording of Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women.
There were many signs referencing female genitalia and the recording in particular, and while it was called the Women’s March, the movement also featured signs highlighting the intersectionality of Trump opposition. Some signs referenced the Black Lives Matter movement, and others addressed Islamophobia in regards to Trump’s proposed policies, such as a ban on Muslim immigration and even a national registry of Muslims that he has at times committed to.
Sullivan said her sister was at the main march in Washington, D.C., which city officials have estimated to have had around 500,000 participants. Sullivan said she attended in New Orleans to advocate for women’s education, Planned Parenthood and equal pay legislation, all of which she feels is threatened under Trump’s administration. She said the size of the crowd in New Orleans was a pleasant surprise showing the level of resistance to some of Trump’s policies.
“People are coming out of the shops. People are coming out of the houses on the balcony to see what’s going on,” Sullivan said. “Everyone is so happy to be a part of this, and it’s such a peaceful movement. It’s incredible. It’s incredible that we’ve all come together for the same reason.”
Up ahead in the march, Katie Champagne was walking while wearing a small sign saying “Mother Earth has rights.” Champagne grew up in the Summerfield neighborhood in Houma, and she also attended Vandebilt before finishing high school at a boarding school elsewhere. She said she did her architecture thesis on Houma and Terrebonne Parish, looking at the effects of oil exploration canals on the parish’s land. According to Champagne, while she was also fighting for women’s rights and children’s education, she wanted to bring a focus to environmental issues at the march.
“It’s really important to fight for policies that will at least decrease the inevitable climate change that is happening to us,” Champagne said.
The White House’s official website has been updated since Trump’s inauguration to include his energy plan, which aims at eliminating some climate initiatives he feels are hampering domestic energy production. Champagne said it was difficult to see her hometown vote overwhelmingly in favor of Trump when South Louisiana is experiencing the effects of climate change firsthand through sea level rise. However, she also recognized the personal interests of those voters looking to see the local economy, deeply connected to the oil and gas industry, rebound through Trump’s policies.
“My dad was in the oil industry for years, so I get it,” Champagne said.
The march was a jovial and peaceful waltz through the French Quarter on the way to City Hall. Police blocked off streets and lined the barriers, giving the marchers clear and ample space to get to the endpoint without incident. Tensions did not seem to boil between protesters and police on Saturday after a Friday night where 15 people who broke off from an anti-Trump protest were arrested for vandalism and other charges, including two NOPD vehicles being damaged and two officers left hospitalized from injuries, according to police. Groups at Saturday’s march within the protest sang and chanted all throughout the walk to City Hall, with some saying “End the hate, ovulate” and others saying “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA.” A dance party broke out when the timeless Destiny’s Child hit “Independent Women” came from a boom box.
Though a sudden, strong downpour at the end of the event dispersed a large number of the crowd, thousands lined the City Hall grounds for the rally. Speakers implored attendees to support not just women but also for people of color, religious minorities, immigrants and workers across the state, noting an attack on one group is an attack on all. State senators Karen Carter-Peterson and JP Morrell from New Orleans spoke, telling the crowd to use the momentum created today to stay engaged in the future by getting others involved, registering voters and showing up in Baton Rouge when issues important to Louisiana progressives are being discussed by state officials.
While many in the local area may have cheered on the results coming in on election night, Champagne called it a wake up call for her, as denial ceded to surprise and then sadness, She said she hoped the large crowds on Saturday would provide some catharsis for those feeling down since the election and that the marches across the world would get the attention and respect of those in power. According to Champagne, she had never marched in a protest before Saturday’s event, but she plans on taking a more proactive approach in the future.
“I’m kind of understanding, at our age, we’ve lived through a pretty comfortable world. And so maybe we don’t know how necessary these things are at times. And now that we do, we’re doing it,” Champagne said.
