It was a beautiful day with 260 people, dancing, singing, and waving their signs at people passing by — who mostly gave thumbs-up feedback. The threatened counter protest did not materialize.
Photos courtesy of Dewey Vanderhoff and Janet Reed-Bradley
We gathered on Flag Day to remind America that elected leaders serve only at the consent of the voters. People have a say in how they we are governed. But are powerful people in government today are actively planning to ignore the Constitution and sow chaos. I don’t say that in a conspiratorial way. It’s in their documents. It’s written in black and white in things like Project 2025, pushed by groups like the Heritage Foundation and others aligned with the Christian nationalist movement. They’ve laid out their intention to gut federal institutions, dismantle checks and balances, and create an authoritarian system.
And all of this is happening under the veneer of legality and flag-waving nationalism. You are not imagining it — it’s a blueprint used time and again by autocracies around the world. We just never believed it could happen here. And what scares me most isn’t just that this could happen—it’s that some people want it to.
We are furious that Sen. Lummis, Barrasso and Rep. Hageman have refused to push back on this administration’s attacks on our values – They swore an oath to protect the constitution but instead of fulfilling that duty, they appear to have chosen to side with power. But power without virtue is an empire. People without representation are duty bound to protest.
And whether America survives this time with its soul intact depends entirely on whether enough people are willing to stand up and say NO.
Because we remember who we’re supposed to be—what America was striving to be, not always successfully but, until recently, with promise and hope and inclusion.
And yet, as bleak as this sounds, I believe that this regime’s goal is not inevitable. This country has bent under pressure before. But people have fought—really fought—to hold the line. Not just soldiers or politicians, but everyday people. Teachers. Parents. Immigrants. Organizers. Survivors of genocide, and slavery. People who knew what was at stake because their ancestors lived through oppression and racism and still refused to give up.
If there’s any path forward, it’s going to come from that kind of courage. From people who see through the noise and still choose to stand with each other. Like you are doing today. For decency. For justice. For what this country could be.
– Renee Tafoya,
Chair, Wyoming Rising
Note: these words aren’t just mine. I’ve used thoughts and excerpts from other writers including Heather Cox Richardson and Hiro Boga.
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