The Roanoke Community’s Collective Voice Gets Heard During No Kings 3
I could hear the crowds at the southwest corner of Elmwood Park long before I could even see them. Their cheers, their music, their voice — all of it unified to snake through Downtown Roanoke’s city blocks the afternoon of March 28.
And with each passing minute, that chorus grew. Amid cool spring weather and under a beautifully blue sky, No Kings 3 increasingly became louder and more vibrant. Shoulder to shoulder at times, the total attendees during the two-hour event was estimated at 3,500.
I smiled as I walked up to the corner of Elm Avenue and South Jefferson Street, where the signs stretching in every direction were immediately captivating. Each, in their own way, was a call for solidarity against President Donald Trump’s authoritarian actions and against the selfishness and greed of his Cabinet and allies:
Make Lying Wrong Again
No Lies, No Grift, No Kings
Stop Trump, Save Democracy
When Injustice Becomes Law, Resistance Becomes Civic Duty
Trump is the Worst President Since Trump (And IKEA has Better Cabinets)
One of my favorites was a statement so simple, yet painfully poignant and reflective: Things are So Bad, the Introverts are Here!
“We’re here because we believe in our democracy and our Constitution, and we would like to see that acknowledged once again,” an attendee who was holding a “Love God, Love Your Neighbor” poster told Roanoke Indivisible.
“I think we need to give voice to the displeasure that this administration is doing to this country and doing to its people, especially people who are taking the right path to citizenship.”
Beyond the creativity of the signage, diverse individuals found ways to express their feelings and bring others closer. Listening to the drum circle along the Jefferson edge of the park was almost intoxicating, as six drummers and a maraca player drew a large crowd that swayed to the beat. At the opposite end of the park, a young man in a colorful shirt held out a welcoming sign for “Free Hugs.” (Human connection feels vital these days, so I readily accepted.)
Picking my way through the crowd, I saw representatives of the Roanoke Workers Assembly talking to attendees about the value of unionizing their workplaces, while a woman with the Southwest Virginia Data Center Transparency Alliance approached people about the crisis of data-center construction in the Roanoke Valley. She handed me a slip of paper with a QR code to public comments, allowing us to make our voices heard.
Even if you missed them in the crowds, there were tables set up for these groups and for so many more along one of the walkways, sharing ways for each individual to become collectively involved.
“I think we need to give voice to the displeasure that this administration is doing to this country and doing to its people, especially people who are taking the right path to citizenship,” another attendee said during the rally. “This country is built on the backs of immigrants, and, of course, on formerly enslaved people, and this administration ignores all of that.
“This administration is a disgrace, and it needs to go,” he added, with emphasis.
While the community itself was the heart of the event, the speakers at the center stage amplified the concerns of all who were there.
Dr. Brenda Hale, president of the Roanoke NAACP and the emcee of No Kings 3, proudly deputized everyone in attendance as “an agent of change,” speaking from her heart about how she wanted to see the Roanoke region change the paradigm of antagonism and moral corruption that the Trump administration has created.
Hale introduced several other presenters, including Mona Raza, an immigrant attorney who affirmed the basic human rights that everyone deserves — “250 years ago, we refused to bow to a mad king,” she said in closing before an eruption of cheers, “and we will not bow to one today!”
Voting-rights leader Penny Blue was another to take the microphone, addressing one of the most pressing topics in the coming weeks: the April 21 vote on a constitutional amendment that would temporarily redraw Virginia’s voting districts. She juxtaposed GOP-led efforts in other states, which have unilaterally redrawn federal districts to favor Republicans, to what Virginia is doing, which is putting the decision in the hands of the majority of the people.
“We, as the people, need to do what we need to do: Vote, and vote ‘Yes!’ ” she said. “And get any and everybody you know to get out and vote ‘Yes.’ ”
She ended with a call to action that captured the full sentiment of the day: Educate your friends and neighbors and family members. Maybe it’s knocking on doors, maybe it’s a phone call, maybe it’s a conversation around the dinner table. Activism doesn’t stop when the crowds dissipate on a Saturday afternoon.
The conversation has only just begun.