Aaron Walker
Staff Writer
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders is coming to Mississippi for the march on Nissan to bring awareness for poor working conditions at the manufacturing plant. The march is scheduled for Mar. 4 at the Canton Sportsplex in Canton, Miss.
According to the Clarion-Ledger, actor Danny Glover, U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson and Sierra Club President Aaron Mair will also attend the march. The Mississippi Alliance for Fairness at Nissan is helping organize the march.
The march was organized after Nissan workers said they were met intimidation and harassment after they tried to unionize. In a statement, Nissan denied the allegations and said that the company’s Canton employees have some of the highest wages and strongest benefits in Mississippi, according to WAPT 16 report on the event.
Ray Mikell, a political science professor at Jackson State University expressed his views on the march and Sen. Sanders coming to Mississippi along with others.
“I heard a spokesman say that his presidential campaign never connected with black voters in the South. Then I heard that he didn’t connect with economics and identity politics or race-related issues. So, it’s interesting that he’s coming down for this. At the same time, it’s not politics as usual to have a district’s congressperson, a major civil rights organization, and union representatives making such a big push for union goals, especially in a region that hears almost exclusive negative messages about unions from its state and local leadership,” said Mikell.
Some JSU student government association officers believe Sen. Sanders visit to Mississippi will bring attention to the issues at Nissan.
“I think that it’s big just having someone with such a high position and class, and just coming down here and caring about issues that is going on here, and I think it will bring a lot of light to that situation and it will be a good experience for people to see him come,” said Jaylon George, junior class vice-president and a junior finance major from Jackson, Miss.
Other SGA officers believe Sanders visit shows that he cares.
“I feel real good about Bernie Sanders coming to Mississippi, even the people he has coming with him shows so much about his character, and it shows how much he cares, because he doesn’t have to care and that’s positive,” Destiney Lawrence, 2016-2017 Miss JSU and a senior biology/pre-med major from Fairhope, Ala.
Kendall Bunch, student government association president and a senior accounting major from Olive Branch, Miss., believes students should also attend the march.
“Our whole goal in life is to help others and participating in this march like those who participated in march’s long ago that helped us. I feel like it’s our job and duty to give back and do for others,” said Bunch.
Bunch also stated that there was a student body meeting held telling JSU students about the march, and the meetings that are held at the M W Stringer Grand Lodge every Wednesday at 6 p.m. located on John R. Lynch Street.
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Story updated on March 7, 2016
Photos by William H. Kelly III
