No Kings, Just Us: A Nation Speaks with One Voice
“We carried signs, yes, but more than that, we carried each other. That’s how we build the future —together.”
I’m proud of my country.
Perhaps many of us felt that same pride yesterday, June 14, 2025, as millions of ordinary and extraordinary people came together to show the world the future we want —a future built by all of us, together.
We need not look further than the signs we carried, hung, and chanted coast to coast. Signs that spoke directly to the policies, programs, and services that affect us most. And more than that, they echoed our common sense, our intuitive sense of compassion, empathy, and justice for one another.
Yes, there were signs proclaiming No Kings, as there should be. But there were also signs, simple and elaborate, conveying hope, courage, unity and the very real, practical things we need: Medicaid, public education, science, freedom of speech, due process, democracy, and the essential vehicles that make them part of everyday life.
I’m proud of my fellow Americans for standing up, for rising with courage and heart so that all our voices could be heard.
And we did it peacefully —in the tradition of nonviolent disobedience.
Here are some images from yesterday’s very human, very real, nationwide and even worldwide event.
As we move forward, keep thinking about our future and the things you want to see in it. What are they?
For me, universal healthcare is one. It would ease the daily financial and emotional burden too many people carry. Imagine lifting that worry —imagine the relief it would bring to the 60 percent of Americans currently living paycheck to paycheck.
Write your vision down. Talk to your friends. Ask them what they want to see in the world we share. This is our starting point.
Dream of our likenesses and our differences. And how each adds color and depth to our lives, our well-being, our communities, and the environments we live in.
One way to think of this is through travel: when we explore another country or culture, we often come away with a sense of awe and a curiosity to better understand ourselves. Art, souvenirs, music —they don’t just reflect that joy. They carry it forward. They carry us forward.
Let’s keep going.
https://youtube.com/shorts/D9snwcM616U?feature=share