Chanting “Immigrants’ rights are human rights!” and “This is what democracy looks like!” hundreds of marchers, including more than 50 from 1199SEIU, joined together for the final six miles of the ‘Road to Freedom’ on Alabama’s Highway 80 on March 9.



That last leg of the march started in the city of St. Jude, the first Catholic-based institution entirely dedicated to serving Alabama’s African American population. Students from St. Jude High School assembled on the steps of their school and kicked off the march by singing freedom songs.



“I decided to come today because I lived through this moment in history and now we are fighting to make sure our civil rights are not taken for granted,” said Hyacinth Blackman, a retired 1199SEIU member who lives in West Palm Beach, Florida. “I taught my children to give 110 percent because it’s up to the younger generations to strive to make a difference.”



Marchers from labor unions, international human rights, voting rights and immigrants’ rights groups wound their way from St. Jude High School to Highway 80 for six miles of marching through rolling hills, rain and wind. “It was a privilege and an honor to walk the same road thousands marched before me to fight for the right to vote that we enjoy today,” said Verna Pearson, an LPN and 1199SEIU Delegate from Tampa, Florida.



Residents who live along Highway 80 stood on porches and in driveways with their fists in the air, sending enthusiastic waves and heartwarming smiles to the marchers. Residents and caregivers from a nursing home emerged from their facility in scrubs and wheelchairs to cheer and chant with the marchers. As the march made its way toward the Capitol, the rain fell heavier and marchers’ chants, backed by drumming, grew louder.



“When we got to Montgomery and I could see the capitol building, I cried. It was really powerful to be among so many people who were marching in honor of the people who sacrificed their lives and endured violence and brutality for our civil rights,” said Pearson.