Students and community members took to downtown Nashville in protest of Donald Trump winning the presidential election.
Fisk students sparked the protest when they walked out of class shortly before 2 p.m.
"Trump represents hate and he represents bigotry," said one protester at the start of the march.
Others joined in, including a group staging a separate anti-Trump protest at Bicentennial Mall. At its height, the protest had around 200 people marching down Charlotte to the Capitol. They stopped in several intersections as Metro Police blocked traffic for safety, eventually heading to Broadway.
"We're done with the inequality and we want equality and we want freedom and need people to stand up," said two female students, speaking with NewsChannel 5 as they marched.
Charlotte Avenue and Broadway were both closed for a short period of time while protesters marched and sat in the road.
Protesters said they wanted to get people's attention. They walked their specific path in hopes of getting their message to people who voted for Donald Trump during the election.
"A lot of people are scared man, a lot of people are really scared and didn’t want this to happen," said one protester, "I fear for my friends. I have immigrant friends, LGBT friends, black friends, all types of friends."
Fisk University officials released the following statement:
"University officials have been made aware of a demonstration involving Fisk University students. While this is not university-sanctioned, Fisk University encourages the right to exercise free speech and expression in a peaceful manner. Fisk University has been rooted in social and political activism for 150 years and continues to support our mission of cultivating scholars and leaders."
