‘We are queens.’ “My Black Has a Purpose” organizers hold Saturday unity march for black women

“My Black Has a Purpose” march organizers held a second rally in Columbus on Saturday to draw attention to the deaths of Black women and other women of color in the United States.

Dozens of women dressed in purple and wearing an assortment of tiaras flooded the streets of Fifth Avenue, chanting, “we are queens” and “no vote, no voice”.

The women were joined by the Inphamous Angels motorcycle group, who led the way to the end of the march route in front of the Liberty Theater.

During their walk, the marchers stopped and took a picture in front of the home of Ma Rainey, one of the earliest Black professional blues singers. From there, the group continued to march until they made it to the theater.

There were a series of speakers after the walk, including DA-elect Mark Jones and Sybil Sloan, a lawyer from Montgomery.

“A queen knows her worth and she walks in her truth,” Sloan said. “No matter what your skin complexion might be, you are a queen.”

She went on to thank anybody who came out for the event because it was important to not only lift up the names of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, who were also killed, but to lift up the names of women as well.

“The time to unite is now,” Sloan said.

Jones echoed Sloan’s statements in his own speech, which included a shout out to his Black wife, who marched alongside him during the rally.

“With her and without other Black women, I would not have won the DA seat,” Jones said.

Jones urged people to use their phones to capture instances of racial injustice and get them out into the world and to keep applying pressure to those in power in order to see change.

“Now is not the time to be bashful,” Jones said.

Rounding out the speakers was Annie Davis, an area mental health therapist. She acknowledged that everybody in the crowd was indeed a queen who could handle herself. But she urged them to take advantage of mental health resources if they needed them.

“Embrace equality for all,” Davis said. “Congressman John Lewis said over 60 years ago, ‘we cannot rest until all are treated equal’. I believe he meant women as well.”

This story was originally published July 18, 2020 at 2:45 PM.