March in downtown Merced looking to spread respect and equality

A march planned Sunday in Merced by the Human Dot Project is intended to rally support for respect, equality and unification of all people, organizers said.

Debbie Margison Allen said she and co-founder Stephen Hillyer hope to create a movement that, without judgment, welcomes “humanity and the belief that we are so similar, we just need to talk to each other.”

Participants plan to gather Sunday at 12:30 p.m. in front of the Merced County Rescue Mission on Canal Street. The mile-long march will start at 1 p.m., ending at the SWAG Complex at 1405 W. Main Street.

Community members will have the chance to speak during an open mic session. Sweatshirts and care packages will be passed out to the homeless and local barbers will offer free haircuts.

“We’ve been spreading like wildfire,” she said. “There’s divisiveness happening in the country for various reasons. We want to eliminate some of that and just accept people as human beings.”

The organizers have been reaching out to local schools, she said. Buhach Colony High School has formed a Human Club on campus and Atwater High School has collected donations for Sunday’s event.

“As it continues to spread, we want local high schools and youth to tap into the community as well as changing the lifestyle on campuses,” Margison Allen said. “The time is now. The youth are the future and if we can shift that mentality, we’re doing something for the future of the country.”

This story was originally published February 10, 2017 at 3:52 PM with the headline "March in downtown Merced looking to spread respect and equality."