COLUMBIA, MO. -- Dozens of Missouri NAACP members are on their way to Washington D.C.

They’re taking a bus to the One Nation Working Together march on the National Mall.

The Missouri NAACP group made stops in Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis on Friday.

Marchers held a mini-rally and a prayer vigil outside of Columbia’s Downtown Baptist Church.

Organizers of the march say the demonstration will help keep the momentum rolling on the gains the African-American community has made since the 2008 election.

MO NAACP President Mary Ratliff said, “I’m saying that we are coming together this weekend to bring together white, black, Jews, Gentiles and all people together to say that we are one nation working together and we are not going to let anybody turn us around. O.K.?”

More than 2,500 buses of NAACP members are expected to arrive in Washington D.C. for the One Nation Working Together march that begins at 11 a.m. central time on Saturday.

Themes of the march include a renewed focus on jobs, health care for all Americans and better access to high quality public education.