"Power to the People"
This Coming Saturday Marks the Third No Kings Day Rally. Showing Up Has Never Been More Important.
As many of you know, I lead two different groups committed to direct activism across our nation, training them in the same kind of generative resistance I learned from growing up in a family of activists, who were members of an entire community of activists in 1960s Birmingham.
One group is comprised primarily of young, LGBTQ+ identifying people, many of whom are already veteran activists, having been part of the 2020 uprising. The second is an interfaith contingent of clergy, encompassing pastors and elders, priests and rabbis, monks and nuns, imams and prophets, among others, spanning the faith spectrum from fundamentalism to Universalism, from Catholics to humanists, many of whom, after careers spent caring for people’s well-being, feel called to engage in direct activism for the first time.
Both groups are engaging in the same work, doing, as Civil Rights icon Bayard Rustin, both Quaker and LGBTQ+, described, when he said, “We need, in every community, a group of angelic troublemakers. Our power is in our ability to make things unworkable. The only weapon we have is our bodies. And we tuck them in places so wheels don’t turn.”
My primary role has been formulating strategy that allows both groups to do the most good in the places where they live, work, go to school and minister. As such, activists are involved in everything from “Eyes on ICE — document and record” teams to campaigns that hold corporate collaborators accountable, from executing on our strategy to help low-income citizens secure passport cards so they can vote no matter what laws are passed, to actively providing safe haven for people being hunted. From meeting basic needs to organizing rapid-response rallies, from working on the campaigns of candidates committed to a “For All” America to standing against what we’re doing to the people of Iran.
But even with these varied efforts, there’s one thing that, across the board, we’re all committed to, and that’s making this third No Kings Day the largest and most impactful yet. We’ve helped with both organizing efforts in our respective communities and have urged those communities to attend. The reason I see this one event as an “all hands on deck” moment stems back to my involvement with the planning of the first such rally.
I remember what it felt like to be an American back then, living in a time when it seemed that the power that should rightfully reside with the people had been usurped, that we were a nation contending with a theocratic coup, one where teaching about the Tuskeegee Airmen was outlawed, where long-overdue diversity initiatives were declared illegal, and where the “Stonewall LGBTQ” monument was changed to the “Stonewall LGB” monument, even though it was trans and non-binary people, the people erased from the monument, who’d led the effort.
Back then, we were a nation where those tasked with defending democracy were complicit in its impairment, from a Congress that approved a budget that earmarked more money for ICE than the entire military budgets of every country on the planet except China and the United States itself, while refusing, yet again, to raise the Minimum wage, to a Supreme Court that allowed this administration to deport people without a trial.
We had a president, when asked whether he was obligated to uphold the Constitution, who actually said, “I don’t know.” And we had an administration populated by people who’d been vetted by a militant Christian organization, one proclaiming that their religious beliefs overrule both the Constitution and the democratic process. “When government is in the hands of godly men,” said one affiliated minister, “It is good. But in the hands of all others, it is evil.”
So, what do we, the people, do when those tasked with representing us no longer represent us? We show those representatives where the power truly resides. We remind them that they serve at the pleasure of the people. They serve. They don’t rule. And we, the people? Our power isn’t positional. It’s collective. It’s not individual. It’s aggregate. It’s not purchased. It’s inalienable.
But until that first No Kings Day, the one where more than 5 million Americans gathered to stage what was, at that time, the largest one-day protest in the history of the United States, that power was invisible. And because it was invisible, many assumed it didn’t exist. They’re not assuming that anymore.
So, those wanting to sell us on the lie that we’re powerless switched tactics. They called that gathering a fluke. A one-off. A flash-in-the-pan. Then came the second No Kings Day, which shattered attendance records. This time, 7 million showed up.
And that’s not all. They didn’t just show up on the streets. Just like in 2020, when 15 million Americans marched through cities like Portland and Minneapolis, they didn’t stop there. They marched right into the voting booth. The 2025 election turnout was unlike anything we’ve ever seen in the year after a presidential election. And when it was over, the political landscape at the state level had dramatically changed.
While there are many reasons why these No Kings Day rallies are important, for me, this is the most significant. Because extensive research reveals that there is a powerful, sustained link, stemming back to the Civil Rights movement itself, between the number of people showing up on the streets and those who show up at the ballot box.
So, show up. You’ll be surprised at how not alone you feel just by being there. It will remind you what true patriotism is at a time when the concept has been so perverted that it’s hard to distinguish it from fascism. You’ll see people of every age and ancestry, gender and ethnicity, across the political spectrum, and of every imaginable faith and non-faith.
You’ll see funny signs and hear great music. You’ll be moved by heartfelt speeches from non-political animals, and witness adults dressed in outlandish costumes. You’ll see America itself on proud display. Or, at least the better America we can be.
And simply by showing up, you send the message that it’s we, the people who hold the power.
It was the Black Panther Party that coined the phrase, “Power to the People”. They did it at a time, not unlike today, when we, the people, were being told the opposite, that we had no power. Those Americans were undaunted then. As we are now.
Power to the people. Never has a slogan been more fitting.
There are nearly 3,500 local No Kings Day gatherings scheduled (a thousand more than No Kings II), and they’re happening not just in every state but in every single U.S. congressional district across the nation. Spanning from the reddest of red states to the bluest of blue. Search for events near you here, or use the interactive map.
You can find out more about the what and why of No Kings Day here.
The American Friends Service Committee provides these guidelines for digitally protecting yourself when participating in a protest of any kind, including this one.
If you’re a non-citizen participant, consider downloading ReadyNow!, a free, secure, multi-lingual mobile app designed to help immigrants prepare for possible detention and to act quickly in moments of crisis. The app allows you to send one-click emergency alerts via SMS to pre-selected contacts; personalize emergency plans for childcare, medical needs, and legal support; and share key information with National Immigration Legal Response Alliance (NILRA), a network of pro bono immigration attorneys, if faced with arrest.
The ACLU provides this guide to knowing your rights as a protester.
For a list of resources and a directory of pretrial bail funds, see the National Lawyers Guild for more information. If you feel your rights have been violated by a federal law enforcement agent, you can reach out to the National Lawyers Guild federal repression hotline at 212-679-2811 for a free, privileged consultation about your rights, risks, and responsibilities, and to be connected with appropriate legal resources in your jurisdiction.
Finally, there’s a movement-wide, high-priority call scheduled for March 31, where participants will discuss what’s next after March 28. And if you’re looking for graphics you can use on signs and whatnot, you can find those here.
I’ve got two songs for you today, both with the same title — Power to the People — John Lennon’s version (1971) and Curtis Mayfield’s version (1974).
Not only is Letters from a Birmingham Boy an entirely free publication with no paywall, I also donate 100% of all proceeds from paid subscriptions to support the efforts of under-resourced activists working toward a “For All” future. Given the unprecedented times we’re in, I and other clergy are launching SUGRR (Societal Underground Railroad) benevolence funds, which you can read about here.
Right now, people on the ground are undertaking the work mentioned above without any major financial backers, and they’re doing so with the most modest of resources. So, if you can give or otherwise support their work, including sharing this request with others, or putting them in contact with me, please do so.