The Dissenters: A collection of stories from the picket lines

Not my President's Day: Part 1

Volume 1 - No. 1

“It was 17 degrees with 50 MPH gusts.” It was February 17, 2025, President’s Day. Unlike her neighbors, Alicia did not spend her Monday nursing a mug of hot coffee in the comfort of her home. Alongside hundreds of others, she ventured into a frigid Maine afternoon for one purpose—to dissent. “At the last minute the organizers cancelled: people still showed up. We danced, we sang. . . Such an amazing experience.”

Image by Alicia of Augusts, ME

Across the square marched Amy. She too had defied the weather to join her fellow Mainers. One moment, stood out to her. “Halfway through the featured speeches a bald eagle flew over the capitol building, cruising shockingly low over our heads.”

A shout of a fellow protestor alerted the crowd. Cheers erupted. “I looked around thinking someone must have released it. . . A flock of crows scattered nearby, the band started to play The Star Spangled Banner. I felt true hope for our future.”

Image by NCA of Maine

This protest, though, was not an isolated demonstration. It was one of hundreds. A movement. A referendum. On that day, thousands gathered in towns across the United States to protest one man and his followers—Donald J. Trump, the 47th President of the United States.

In January, what started as a discussion on Reddit, grew into a movement. Hundreds grew to thousands. They adopted a name—the 50501 movement—fifty states, fifty capitols, one day.

Their first demonstration on February 5 drew crowds to every state capitol. Less than two weeks later, President’s Day, the protests swelled from 60 plus locations to over 140 sites with crowds numbering from a few dozen to thousands.

In Beacon, New York, a town with 15,000 residents nestled across the Hudson River from Newburg, 40 residents gathered. “The ground was covered with snow and ice. . . and the temperatures were in the teens,” shared YC. “None of us stayed more than an hour, but those who came were glad to be there.”

Image by YC of New York

Across the Northeast, despite freezing temperatures, people gathered. Boston, Massachusetts drew a crowd of several hundred, as did Hauppauge, New York. One protestor from Hauppauge reported that their congressman, Nick LaLota, had refused to hold town halls. “(He) has been voting in line with the Trump/Musk agenda despite many phone calls from his constituents telling him of their opposition to these issues.”

Image by Mark Hoffman

Oppose—that one word echoed across the squares and lawns that day. The thousands who held cardboard signs and raised their voices to protest were unified in their opposition of the policies being enacted by the current administration. Whether they stood against the exploitation of public lands or the influence Elon Musk and his Department of Goverment Efficiency, those gathered shared a common cry—opposition.

Image by an Anonymous protestor in North Carolina

Dr. Chele Heid a protestor in Indianapolis captured a second sentiment repeated in story after story—grief mixed hope. When sharing a memory from the Women’s Day March in 2017, one of her earliest experiences protesting, she shared, “I couldn't chant. My free flowing tears were my protest.”

Eight years later, she continues to dissent alongside her family and neighbors. “On February 17, 2025 I drove four people, who had never marched before, to the state capitol. Even my seventy-four-year-old mother bundled up to demonstrate in opposition to fascism for two hours in the bitter cold.”

She continued by sharing a story of a novice protestor, “She was unable to join the crowd chanting because she was fighting back tears. Her throat was constricted with so many emotions. However the energy and hopefulness of being surrounded by likeminded people, people who cared enough to brave the frigid February temperatures on their day off, soothed her spirits and allowed her to add her voice to throng.”

These are the voices of the dissenters, everyday Americans standing together in protest.

Twice a week, I will tell their stories. My hope is that this will serve as a living history meant to inform, record, and, perhaps, inspire.

Next week, we will hear from others who protested that day. Don’t forget to share and subscribe.

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Also, beginning in April, I will be interviewing organizers, community activists, and everyday Americans about their work, their passions, and their stories. Use the form linked below to recommend a person.