Tennesseans marched through the heart of downtown Nashville Wednesday afternoon, participating in one of the all-day, nationwide protests rejecting Project 2025, called the “50501” movement.
The 50501 movement coordinated 50 protests, one at each U.S. state’s capitol building, on Feb. 5, in solidarity against oppressive policies, eroding liberties and dividing communities from Project 2025, according to the movement’s website. Over one hundred protesters attended the protest-turned-march, reading information and communicating questions about the event through Bluesky and Reddit.
Protesters advocated for trans rights, immigration rights, birthright citizenship, healthcare, birth control access and gun control legislation. Participants in the movement criticized President Donald Trump for allotting controversial billionaire Elon Musk the power to make government decisions through the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Musk wasn’t elected by the American people or approved by another legislative authority to achieve any government position of power.
“Trump thinks that he’s saving this world by coming in with his empire, a billionaire,” protest organizer, Carter Lombardi said. “But these billionaires and him is what’s destroying this U.S., and we’re not going to stand for it.”
Over 100 protesters flocked to the capitol and grouped at all levels of the building, stacking each step. At about 1:30 p.m., the capitol flooded with multi-colored signs and a diverse assortment of flags. At one point, protesters held their middle fingers high and chanted, “F— Donald Trump.”
Later that afternoon, rain droplets started falling. Participants broke out their plastic ponchos and covered their heads but didn’t lose any steam or dwindle in numbers.
Salem Walker led the protest, holding a megaphone in their hand while passing it back and forth between crowd members and fellow organizers Carter Lombardi, Logan Wright and Ava Rose. Walker coordinated chants for the protesters and made sure everyone drank water, while the other coordinators rallied support and helped take care of the protesters’ needs by passing out water.
The 2 p.m. march wasn’t planned, Lombardi said, but Walker and Lombardi decided to march the protesters down Broadway for an impromptu, 5-mile march through downtown Nashville. They chanted call-and-response phrases that echoed through the streets, like “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA,” “Hey, hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go” and “Is this what democracy looks like?”
Nashvillians honked horns in support, and bystanders on the street looked on with awe, distaste and pride. Some shopkeepers stepped out of their businesses to shout messages of support as the protest passed, others clapped and cheered.
A woman with bleach-blonde hair wearing a studded leather jacket presented her middle finger to the line of protesters before a protester broke from the crowd, smiled wide and hugged her. She begrudgingly accepted. A group of blonde women in camo jackets glared at the protesters as they moved downtown and folded their arms.
Nashville police cooperated with protesters, guided the march and blocked off traffic to protect the protesters as they used the crosswalks. The protest remained peaceful when it took to Broadway and kept to the sidewalks. Police smiled and communicated with the crowd by pointing in the direction they would be walking next, despite the protest lacking a permit.
“There was no planning beforehand,” Lombardi said. “Me and Salem just kind of take this by ear.”
Lombardi, a lead coordinator of the protest, spoke into a bullhorn about his experience as a trans-person in America, the relationship between gun control and women’s reproductive rights and felons’ voting rights being revoked as he closed his eyes and pointed to the sky.
“I am standing here today because Gov. Bill Lee does not think I exist. Trump does not think I exist. So, I am standing here today as a trans man, proud to say it,” Lombardi said. “Guess what…I f— exist.”
Lombardi said other trans kids should be included with everyone else, as he was separated from his classmates as a child due to bullying.
“Everybody is beautiful and unique, and they are loved,” Lombardi said. “And they are seen.”
Many protesters came either for or with their families, like Kilakina Concincaid, a mother of a 13-year-old son who described herself as queer and neuro-divergent. All issues associated with these protests are important to her loved ones, her family and her friends, she said. She wanted to be on the side of history that takes action.
“I’m not going to be a part of history that does this, and I will stand up for what’s right,” Concincaid said. “We’re in the middle of a revolution right now.”
Protester Brian Quirino created a dual-tapestry, double-handled sign with his family, and he attended the protest with his children and his grandmother. The top sign had various-sized handprints of red and blue paint around the words, “America we are ur people,” while the lower end was an aged Mexican flag, worn and frayed at the edges, safety-pinned to the other flag. Quirino stood behind his message.
“We are your people. We are no different from you,” Quirino said. “We’re not separated from you. We are, you know, [a] different ethnicity, but you know we are your people. We are here to contribute.”
Other signs among the crowd included a white sign with “The only minority destroying America are the millionaires,” written in pink marker, another sign reading, “No human is illegal on stolen land,” and a large poster board with a red X through the word “Nazis.”
The protesters took a brief rest by the Cumberland River to hydrate, and Walker gathered participants for a commemorative photo in the grass. The photo was uploaded to socials and used in a collage of the 50501 state protests by Reddit user Tamra Linn.
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