by Rev. Dave Dunn
While attending a recent “No Kings” protest here in Atlanta, I was chatting with a fellow protester who was inspired by the turnout on that sunny Saturday afternoon. (There were perhaps 10,000 protesters in Atlanta that day.) He then asked me whether protests like this, and those that were occurring simultaneously across the country, would make any difference regarding what the current executive branch of our government is doing to our country and to our world (i.e. humanity and our environment).
I responded by saying that I believe everything we do makes a difference, yet we can never necessarily know what that difference will be, what form it will take and when it might take place. Our failure to achieve our desired end is always a possibility yet our actions may inspire others to succeed where we’ve failed.
I then said that if our goal is to put an end to what the current administration is doing, it would likely require regular, daily, sustained, non-violent No Kings-like protests in Washington D.C., the seat of power, to significantly move the needle.
It was at that “No Kings” rally that I heard about this very thing - a planned sustained, daily, nonviolent protest that would begin taking place in our nation’s capital beginning November 5. (The anniversary of our most recent presidential election.)
I traveled to D.C. and attended that mid-week rally where there were perhaps 5000 in attendance. After the rally we then marched from the Washington Monument to the Capitol and then onto the Supreme Court. I also attended the rally and march on the following day. (I met some Unitarian Universalists attending from California, Pennsylvania and Maryland.)
I then returned once again for subsequent protests outside the White House on Nov 24 and Dec 13.
Although Americans are familiar with Saturday afternoon protests from time to time, they aren’t used to such daily, sustained movements. In the relative recent history of the Civil Rights Movement, the Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted 381 days. The protests at Standing Rock in 2016 lasted approximately 300 days. Just last month, anti-corruption mass protests in Bulgaria led to the resignation of their government. Earlier in 2025, due to quick action and mass protests, South Korea’s President was removed from power after he sought to commit a coup by first declaring martial law in the country.
Yet again, although I believe that daily, sustained, non-violent protests can significantly move the needle, there is no guarantee that they will lead to the results one is looking for. The 1988 mass protests in Tiananmen Square and the 2019 protests in Hong Kong led to further repression. Yet, without a doubt, these actions have inspired others around the world to continue to strive for freedom and human rights – and many have succeeded and achieving their ends.
If the protests in our nation’s capital continue, I plan to continue to attend them because, in these circumstances, with the current administration presenting such a grave threat to our democracy, there is no guarantee that the upcoming midterm election results will be certified or respected.
If one believes that the current administration is grave threat to our democracy, it doesn’t seem to make much sense to rely on that democracy to save us from that threat. With love (and nonviolence) at the center, I wonder what the plan is.
Nurture our spirit. Strive for Justice. Transform the world.
Dave
