The organizers of a reproductive freedom rally and speaker engagement slated for Saturday in Allegan say they want to get the community talking about issues that affect everyone, even if the area leans in a different political direction than them. The group Allegan, Speak Up will hold the rally at 2 p.m. in Allegan Saturday, followed by a discussion on reproductive freedom at 3. Coordinator Landria Johnson tells us the group was formed to address tough issues.
“Basically we just decided after the George Floyd murder and with everything going on in the world that we needed to form a group in Allegan that gave people a voice and gave them a safe space to talk about these bigger issues,” Johnson said.
Saturday’s engagement will include state Senate candidate Kim Jorgensen Gane, representatives of Planned Parenthood, and local Democrats. They’re promoting Proposal 3, which would protect abortion rights in the Michigan constitution. Johnson says what they have to say won’t fall on deaf ears.
“A lot of these smaller rural communities, people think that we’re all conservative and that’s it, but it’s really important for these smaller areas because a lot of these issues we’ve learned across the board are just simply misinformation and a lot of people don’t truly understand what’s at stake, what they’re voting on.”
The rally will start at 2 p.m. at the corner of Marshall Street and Hubbard Street. It will be followed with a 3 p.m. event at the Griswold Auditorium on Hubbard Street featuring speakers discussing body autonomy and the consequences of having none. Johnson says she wants people to understand the issues and vote.
