VIDOR, Texas — It's a call for change. Two women are stepping up to make their voices heard and to fight for equality for all.
Madison Malone is one of the organizers of a peaceful march that will be held on Saturday at 3 p.m. near Vidor.
She said she wants to change the narrative created against her hometown and give a voice to those who feel like they have been silenced.
"I'm fighting for something that is bigger than me," Madison Malone said.
A fight she is facing in her hometown.
"I've struggled a lot with, you know. When I tell people where I am from, I get backlash," Malone said.
Madison Malone is from Vidor. She said the city hasn't had the best reputation, but a new generation is going to be the change.
"We want to spread love to our community and tell the world that we do support to end racism and we do support the change," Malone said.
And she is hoping that change will begin with a peaceful march at Raymond Gould Park Saturday in Orange County.
"She said, 'I can go march in my hometown,' and I said, 'yes, let's go do it,'" Baaheth said.
When Yalakesen Baaheth got the call to help with the march, she knew there would be some who opposed.
"From the moment I said yes, I already knew what would happen," Baaheth said.
But both women were not going to let the negativity overshadow the good they knew could come from this peaceful march.
"There is good and bad in every town but the good will always prevail, and we just want to showcase that," Baaheth said.
"People hate me that I never thought would hate me, but that's okay because I still love them so much, and some people have given me backlash and then they have come to me and apologized and said 'I am sorry. I see your point.' And that's the kind of change I am wanting to make," Malone said.
A change Malone hopes will come in the form of actions and not just words.
"That's why I am so big on silence is violence,” Malone said. “If you sit back and don’t say anything, you are not getting the message across. How can we be unified if you are sitting back and not saying anything."
Orange County Judge John Gothia said he is in support of this peaceful march.
He said additional law enforcement will be at the park to make sure people are respecting one another.
