Today at the No Kings march, I felt something stir deep inside me, something familiar. It took me back to the 1980s, to the days of the Antiapartheid movement when our hearts were on fire for justice and change. At CU Boulder, we built shanty towns on the campus lawn, makeshift villages of hope and defiance, all to urge big corporations to divest from South Africa. I can still hear the voices and guitars of the time, MTV’s “Ain’t Gonna Play Sun City,” echoing as our anthem of conviction and unity. Back then, we believed that if enough hearts joined together, we could move mountains. And maybe we did, because change came, slow but real.
Then came 2008, a time when hope took a new form. We witnessed our first Black president, a moment that felt like the world turning toward its better self. What struck me most wasn’t just the historic moment, but the power of youth leading the way. I saw kids leaning in at kitchen tables, convincing their grandparents to believe, to vote, to care. The younger generation was waking the older one, whispering truth and light like Aspen’s Tom Crum might say, the “little Buddha” teaching the teacher.
But this year, at the No Kings march, something new touched my heart. This time, it wasn’t the young urging the old, it was the elders bringing the young along. Grandparents holding tiny hands, walking side by side with their grandkids, their steps matched in purpose and direction. The message didn’t come from one generation to another, it came from all of us together, rising as one voice.
Whether the cause is “No Kings” or standing up to the powerful elite some call the “Epstein Class,” what matters most is that we’re finally walking together. The lines that once divided our generations are blurring into a shared resolve. We’re remembering how to listen, how to act, how to believe again in the power of we the people.
As I left that march today, a light breeze carried the sound of laughter and song, and I felt something close to John Denver’s old refrain, the sweetness of belonging, the beauty of home. I walked away inspired, believing again that maybe, just maybe, we’re earning our country back, one kind and courageous step at a time. In Aspen it was at Paepcke Park in Beaverton it was by the Library.
We have started a Kickstarter project specifically designed to pull folks together.
And in the true spirit of this project, it would be incredible if we fully funded this project with only $50.00 contributions. That means we would need 4,400 people, which also means we would need friends and friends of friends.
Oh!…and write your congressmen.
1. U.S. Senate
Visit: https://www.house.gov/representatives
Use the search tool to find your Representative by ZIP code, then use the website links to email or call them directly.
2. U.S. House of Representatives
Visit: https://www.house.gov/representatives
Use the search tool to find your Representative by ZIP code, then use the website links to email or call them directly.
If you’re interested in a protest gonzo or positive call to action t-shirt for your next protest look no further.
The QR code on this shirt takes you to a fun article with links to a place where your friends can write their congressmen just by scanning the code.
The protest shirt collection:
Right on, Andy!