Thursday, May 1, 2025 (May Day)…
…is next major day of protests for a better country. It is a day for all of us to join millions of other people who will cancel everything they can to join fellow citizens in the streets. We will intimidate would-be autocrats with our power, and inspire allies to take larger, riskier actions.
I realize that going to a demonstration may feel awkward and scary, especially if you haven’t been to many. Here are a few thoughts from my experience growing up in a town where a day without street protests was an anomaly:
- Just showing up is crucial: Even if you don’t have a sign, and you don’t chant, and you don’t even stay ‘til the end, you have publicly put your body where your heart is.
- Dissonance: You may feel the tension of standing in protest with people you don’t fully agree with. By showing up, you are NOT saying you agree with every slogan, every sign and every speaker. IMHO, this dissonance means that your demonstration is powerful enough to include people with many different opinions coming together on a single issue – resisting this current administration.
- Safety: If, like me, you’re a white-haired white guy in Alameda, safety is not a main concern. Someone who might be targeted, and who is risking deportation or worse, should take lots of precautions. Here are some good tips from the NRDC (National Resources Defense Council).
More info:
Action is an antidote to anxiety. And acting now is far, far less painful than looking forward to answering a child’s question, “Why didn’t you try to stop this?”
Here’s a poem from my friend Lynn Unger:
