Good Trouble Lives On Wrap Up
June 17 thousands gathered across the US to honor the memory of John Lewis
"Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America." - John Lewis
Yesterday, in over 1500 locations plus another 50 plus locations today, people gathered to honor the legacy of John Lewis. The representative’s and civil rights leader’s legacy was honored through protests, vigils, rallies, and mutual aid events.
While No Kings drew the masses, Good Trouble took on a more earnest note. Several of the events incorporated vigils, speakers, or performances. In Folsom, CA, the Folsom Area Democratic Club hosted a picnic and banned book drive. Up north, Alaskans gathered canned goods for their neighbors.
At least twenty locations held vigils yesterday evening. In Pittsfield, a crowd of 100 gathered at Park Square. Pittsfield Community Gospel Choir performed amidst a square lined with trees and hemmed in by historic brick buildings.
"His parents and grandparents used to tell him, 'Don't get in trouble.' Nevertheless, as a young man, he was inspired to activism by the Montgomery Bus Boycott that started when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat," said Shirley Edgerton of the Berkshire NAACP according to iBerkshire.com.
My family and I attended a gathering in Sonora, CA. Nestled in the foothills of the Stanislaus Forest, several groups gathered in the community’s opera hall. One speaker shared, “The system isn’t broken: it’s operating exactly as intended.” He then urged us to action—to use our privilege or our resources to make good trouble.
In Tijeras, NM, a town of 463 east of Albuquerque, 150 people gathered. Their neighbors, hurrying to work, honked in support as they raised signs and waved flags. And northward, sixty-two dissenters gathered along a stretch of highway in Seward, AK.
The images of far-flung places and rural towns are among my favorite. It demonstrates that this movement is not one of the metropolises or blue strongholds, but of the main streets and town squares. In fact, at least 400 events were held in red districts.
It was not only the small towns that gathered. In New York, demonstrators carried a banner bearing the pictures of those who have been captured by ICE—black and white images of people in their early twenties, fathers, sons, and grandparents, seized off the streets. They are a mere handful of the thousands who have been stolen from our communities.
At the flagship event in Chicago, hundreds gathered to learn, to march, and to remember. Brandon Johnson, Mayor of Chicago spoke at the event. “Congressman Lewis taught us that there are times we must defy the status quo and push back against unjust laws. And let me tell you, that time is now.”
So it is.
Even though Good Trouble Lives On day has come to a close, each of us must continue to make necessary trouble everyday in every city.
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My husband and I stood on our lonesome on a corner in downtown Carbondale Colorado. A few people gave us thumbs up. Most people avoided looking at us.
We were in Palmer Alaska. Maybe 50 enthusiast people. Horns were honked and waves in response. A few fingers and thumbs down. More positive than negative. Deep in red Alaska still good people.