Hundreds of people are expected to gather in Annapolis on Saturday for a 2.5 mile march marking the 61st anniversary of the civil rights demonstration known as Bloody Sunday.

Organizers say the event will both commemorate the historic Selma march and speak out against racism and attacks on women.

The demonstration is organized by the Caucus of African American Leaders, or CAAL. Participants will walk from Calvary United Methodist Church to the Governor’s Mansion, the official residence of Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, the nation’s only Black governor.

Convener Carl Snowden said recent actions by President Donald Trump helped motivate the march.

“We've never had a president depict a former First Lady as an ape. That’s one of the most racist acts you can do. And it's important for us during Women's History Month to make it crystal clear that we will not allow women to be reduced. We just can't do that,” Snowden said.

Snowden said demonstrators will also protest Trump disinviting Moore from White House events and what he described as the president’s refusal to lower flags for the late Rev. Jesse Jackson.

The event commemorates the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march in Alabama, when civil rights activists protesting barriers to Black voting rights were beaten by state troopers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The violence shocked the nation and helped galvanize support for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Snowden said organizers did not invite former President Barack Obama or former first lady Michelle Obama to attend.

“No, we've not asked them to attend the demonstration, and I think we don't need them to be there. Frankly, what we need is to have people show up. Just show up and speak up and speak out,” Snowden said.