Newlywed Couple Joins Philly Protest Right After Getting Married

On Saturday, June 6, Dr. Kerry Anne Perkins and Michael Gordon tied the knot at the Logan Hotel in Philadelphia while, at the same time, marching protesters passed by. So, they decided to join the protest — tuxedo, wedding gown, and all.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, as the newlywed couple exited the hotel, they were greeted with cheers and applause from the protesters, who were in the midst of marching from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to City Hall. 

The couple entered the crowd, which parted for them, and they held hands and kissed in the street while everyone around them cheered. It was a true sight to see and they looked so happy and in love.

What started out as a small wedding party turned into a huge celebration, something the couple probably didn't plan for in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. But for Kerry Anne and Michael, it wasn't just a celebration of their new marriage.

It was also a chance to join the protest and march to further the Black Lives Matter cause. According to their wedding planner, Rev. Roxy Birchfield, it wasn't the wedding they had planned to have, but it would certainly be an unforgettable one.

Rev. Birchfield told E! Online, "They were supposed to get married at Legacy Castle and it was postponed." So the couple decided, instead, to have a "micro wedding" on the lawn of the hotel instead. While posing for their "first look" photos in front of the hotel, they joined in with the protesters.

Their story went viral because it's such a display of love and positivity. It shouldn't be radical for Black people to express love and joy loudly and proudly in the streets. "The narrative of love, of Black love, doesn't always get put out there," Michael told Vogue. 

"But that's what [the movement] is about, that's what we're looking for. Black love is a beautiful thing. Black love exists. Black love is powerful."

Their story reached so far and wide that it even inspired fan art. Kerry Anne posted a few examples to her Instagram along with a touching caption.

"Never in our wildest dreams did we think our love story would capture the hearts of so many people," she wrote. "We are grateful to share our special day with such a pivotal moment in history, and we are honored to be a positive representation of Black Love and why Black Lives Matter. We are so thankful for the outpour of love and support and look forward to sharing our love story with you. Welcome to our new beginning..."

In conversation with Vogue, Kerry Anne described what it felt like to prepare to marry the man she loves while she could hear the sounds of protests outside. "While I was getting ready in the hotel, and I'm reading over vows that I wrote five months ago, at that moment I was just so overwhelmed with emotion," she said. 

"So seeing that we were embarking on this together, and everything we've been through, and that now we're on the forefront of America fighting for justice and trying to push for positivity and change, I'm not only proud as a Black woman and Black professional, I'm so proud of him to represent who we are as a people."