JEFFERSON CITY — Hundreds of Missourians rallied in support of progressive causes Wednesday afternoon in the Capitol rotunda, loudly insisting their voiices be heard as the legislature begins its annual session.

The rally’s focus was similarly broad, focusing on a litany of recent actions from Missouri Republicans that protesters said disrespected voters and disenfranchised vulnerable citizens.

Organizers joined forces across various political issues, combining to fight together rather than individually targeting single issues.

Amber Binge, an activist and community organizer from St. Louis, stressed the importance of presenting a united front due to the sheer scale of the legislature’s actions.

“No single organization can meet this demand,” Binge told the crowd. “No single issue can be isolated from the other. … These are not separate fights.”

Workers’ rights were a key component of the rally, with various speakers voicing their disappointment and anger that Republican lawmakers have counteracted progressive, voter-approved legislation.

LaTonya Sullivan, a certified nursing assistant from Kansas City who is a member of the Service Employees International Union, said the legislature’s repeal of paid sick leave last May puts her patients in danger.

“I work for a nursing home, so if I go in there sick, I risk getting the elderly sick,” Sullivan said. “It’s not fair to them that they don’t get cared for because I’m sick.”

Amy Minich, an organizer with the United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers, or UAW, stressed the interconnectedness of various social causes to the labor movement, since members of the workforce are impacted by all of them to various degrees.

“When politicians attack abortion care, that’s a labor issue,” Minich said. “When politicians freeze the minimum wage, that’s a labor issue.”

Speakers voiced plenty of other concerns, including dissatisfaction with the state’s response to the May 16 St. Louis tornado, worries that the legislature will restrict health care for LGBTQ+ Missourians and that midterm redistricting of congressional seats would dilute votes across the state.

The rally also expanded beyond Missouri, with attendees at times shifting focus to broader, national political trends. Homemade signs referenced the Epstein files, ICE raids and the Trump administration’s proposed takeover of Greenland, among others, all issues that have drawn the ire of the political left in recent months.

Regardless of the issues bringing them to the Capitol, protesters projected unity throughout the hour-long rally. Call-and-response chants echoed throughout the rotunda as attendees voiced their displeasure.

That spirit of togetherness was crucial for Bill Thompson, a volunteer with labor activism group Stand Up KC, who said that large-scale support is necessary to facilitate change.

“Previously, I’d go to my boss and say ‘Hey, I need a raise,’ and he’d laugh in my face,” Thompson said. “But if I see all my brothers and sisters with Stand Up KC behind me, standing with me in solidarity asking for that raise, it’s no longer an ask — it’s a demand.”

Attendees said they were hopeful that their display Wednesday would help facilitate bipartisan dialogue throughout the legislative session this spring. While Republicans hold a supermajority in both the House and Senate, protesters hoped that their presence would lead to negotiation and compromise.

“My thoughts are not exactly your thoughts,” Sullivan said. “Your thoughts are not my thoughts. But when we all sit down and talk about it, sometimes we come up with a resolution that works for everybody. So why can’t we have those talks?”

If still displeased with government actions after the session, rally participants said that they intend to make their voices heard at the ballot box in November. All U.S. and Missouri House seats are up this year, as well as half of the state Senate seats.

Richard Eiker, a volunteer with the Missouri Workers Center, was optimistic that events like Wednesday’s rally would spark high voter turnout in the upcoming general election.

“I’m hoping that all of this energy can continue forward for the rest of the year into the election, because that’s where our voices can make the biggest impact,” he said.