A Letter to Americans Still on the Sidelines, on the Eve of 'No Kings Day'
Dear Friend,
Sometimes I wonder if you’re seeing everything I’m seeing, if you still watch the news or hop on social media anymore.
Perhaps you checked out somewhere along the way; maybe after the election or the Inauguration, or some heartbreaking atrocity that was the final straw for you, and now you're just not aware of what’s going on.
Maybe you’ve retreated into a smaller and more private existence as a matter of self-preservation or mental health.
Because I feel like these are the only explanations as to why you’re silent right now, why you still seem reluctant to emerge from the solitude and step into the fray. If you truly understood the gravity of this moment: of every terrifying precedent being set, every human right evaporating, and every red flag being raised, I imagine you’d be as loud and as visible as I am right now, as so many are.
As may or may not know, this Saturday is ‘No Kings Day.’ Throughout this nation, Americans will gather to remind the current occupant of the Oval Office that we reject kings here, no matter how hell bent they are on coronating themselves.
It is a moment for our collective humanity to make its presence known, so that he and his coconspirators understand the diversity, scale, and scope of the opposition they are facing. The point is to create a tangible expression of We the People and to reiterate exactly what our Constitution declares about kings, authoritarians, and fascists.
It may not have been on your radar or maybe just not on your agenda. I’m here to put it on your radar and to ask you to attend the event most convenient for you.
You may be saying, “Well, I’m just not an activist.”
All I can tell you is that in days like the ones we’re in, at this perilous point in the life of our Republic, you’re either an activist or a passivist. You’re a participant in the collective community, or you’re abdicating that responsibility and allowing other people to protect and defend a way of life that you don’t value enough to protect or defend yourself.
You see, friend, activism isn’t magic or mysterious. It isn’t about qualifications or training or capability, it’s simply about showing up. It is about you leveraging your personhood in the cause of whatever it is that you value.
The only prerequisite for Saturday is a heart that breaks on behalf of its neighbor and its nation, and a courage that moves your feet to stand alongside other similarly heartbroken but courageous human beings.
You don’t need a t-shirt.
You don’t need a sign.
No bullhorn is necessary.
No plan is required.
You won’t need to shout a slogan or sing a song or make a sound.
You won’t need to run into harm’s way.
All you need to do is show up.
Your presence will speak eloquently.
Without words, it will declare with piercing clarity that you are among the sprawling assembly that refuses to consent to the dismantling of this nation.
It will forcefully shout your love for immigrants and your disgust at the brutality of this government toward them.
It will loudly testify to your intolerance for their contempt toward diverse humanity.
It will scream with a deafening roar that you will not abide lawless leadership or a would-be king to turn back the clock, reverse progress, or undo what billions of brave and passionate human beings have spent two hundred and fifty years building, as flawed as that work may be.
I believe you’re a good person, but we need you to be good and loud now.
I get that this might feel like a big ask of you, but it isn’t.
I’m just asking you to pause or reflect or pray and to ask yourself the questions: What kind of person do I tell myself I am; about what matters to me, about the people I care about, about the mark I want to make on the world while I’m here.
Then, decide what that person would do knowing how much is at stake.
And I hope in that moment, the answer you hear is that that person would show up.
See you on Saturday.
(If you would share this on your social media platforms, and send it personally to people you believe need this challenge and encouragement, I’d be grateful.)
Click here to get information about a ‘No Kings Day’ event near you.
Check out my ‘No Kings Day’ playlist below:
My mother used to say that if you wanted to know a person’s character, just shut your mouth and watch them, and you’ll know who they are and what they stand for by dinnertime.
Don’t fool yourselves, fence-sitters. Don’t fool yourselves, those of you who remain seated and silent. We see you. And yes, by dinnertime we will know you, too.
Far more importantly, though, your conscience will see and know you.
You cannot sit silent or indifferent during this critical time and remain a moral human being. It’s that simple. If you were honest with yourself, you’d know that to be true.
Stand up. Get real. Get honest. And start giving a shit. Because if you don’t, there’s a great chance you’ll be kneeling, not sitting, at the feet of fascism for what remains of your fence-sitting, silent, and complacent life.
I'm bringing 4 American flags. I'll share. Stand with me.