HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — Reverend Rutha Jackson, president of the Houston County branch of the NAACP, says she's reminded by recent peaceful protests that she is not alone.
"I was so overwhelmed at the reception of everybody coming together to do this. Everybody knowing it needed to be done and needed to be said and needed to be expressed," she said.
In response to the Unity in the Community protest, and others, Jackson says she was surprised at the large amount of people who showed up.
"When I saw the group I was like oh my God this was more than I expected. So we know now we have a source, we have resources who will engage with us to get some work done. That will change some things," Jackson said.
She also said that "change is very much needed" in the local government.
In response to how people can help if they aren't able to protest, Jackson said resources are key to any protest.
"A lot of people provided water, hand sanitizer and masks. They provided all other resources. They may not have been able to get up and march but they can certainly get on Facebook and shared and used all of the social media sources to help get the word out," she said.
Spreading the word throughout neighborhoods and making phone calls is an important step in making sure people show up for protests, she said.
"Everyone can have a role, even little children can have a role in this," she said.
The NAACP Houston County branch meets every fourth Thursday at 213 Suzanne Drive in Warner Robins and has seen a recent membership surge of more than 35 people over the past few weeks, according to Jackson.
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