America has never had a king. All it’s ever had was us. Still, some people will tell you that showing up on No Kings Day means you hate this country, but they have it exactly backwards.
Nobody gets up early to march on a Saturday morning for a country they’ve given up on. You do that for a country you love too much to watch slip away. And there’s so much to love.
The new citizen in a courthouse, crying as she raises her right hand. The high school gym on Election Day with the volunteer who’s done this for forty years and still says “thank you for voting.” Friends and neighbors helping each other without ever thinking about who owes what.
That’s America. Not a man in a gold-plated palace.
This country was born when ordinary people decided they would not kneel to a king. And every good thing that’s happened since has been sparked by regular people who decided that enough was enough. From women who stood outside the White House in the freezing rain until they won the vote, to the kids who sat down at lunch counters and refused to move. If you’re showing up now, you’re in very good company.
Now is a time to be hopeful. Americans are waking up and the ground under this election is moving. Everyone can feel it. But hope isn’t victory. Nothing is won until the last vote is counted.
So come on over. Bring your kids, so they see what it looks like when a free people stands up. Keep it peaceful. Then go home and do the work. Check your registration. Make your plan. Bring somebody with you in November.
