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By Cynthia Bogard
You know our current political moment is dire when the nation’s elected officials are encouraging us to get out and peacefully protest this March 28 for No Kings 3. We have reason enough to follow their advice. Congress seems all but powerless; this administration regularly defies laws and judicial decrees; tariffs and unaffordability threaten our economy; ICE is invading our cities against the will of residents and legislators; the U.S. continues to commit unlawful violence against a number of countries; there is a shocking lack of accountability for the crimes revealed by the Epstein files — and then there’s the rampant grifting.
Surely, the citizenry has plenty to object to. Come out on Saturday, March 28, at noon to make your voice heard at the rally at the Vermont Capitol in Montpelier. If you’ve never come to a rally before, no worries — they are peaceful and uplifting. And get your friends and family who live elsewhere to go to their No Kings 3 rally. Go to mobilize.us/nokings/map to find an event close to home.
There’s an almost magic number involved for the upcoming nationwide protest — 3.5%. Harvard Kennedy Center political scientist Erica Chenoweth has documented a “3.5% rule”: Studies show that when that percentage of a nation’s citizens participates in sustained peaceful protest against repressive or wrong-headed government policies, positive social change follows. By showing up, you can help turn our country around.
Vermont has already mobilized more than 6.9% of our population for constructive change. Help your state continue to be leaders in speaking out. Show up!
Leaving the Statehouse after the No Kings 2 rally, I spied a “Veteran for Democracy” sign holder. “Thank you for your service,” I said to him. He nodded. “Are you a veteran?” he asked me. I shook my head. “I’m a veteran protester,” I responded. He replied, “Thank you for your service.”
I’ll hold that small conversation close to my heart for a long time. I don’t claim to have risked my life for my country, like a military veteran has, but speaking up regularly when our nation’s leadership goes astray is not only a right but a duty. It’s part of how I demonstrate my patriotism, my love for this constitutional republic, the longest ongoing project in self-rule in history.
We must use the freedoms we have while we still have them — and the freedom to protest a wayward government is literally first among them. “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peacefully to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Join with your fellow citizens on Saturday, March 28, at noon in front of the Vermont Capitol Building. It’s incumbent on ALL of us to make this a record-breaking, historical event. Come sing, chant, listen, and look at what citizens acting together can achieve. It will be magic!
Cynthia Bogard is Professor of Sociology, emerita, at Hofstra University in New York. Since retiring, she’s published three novels, with a fourth out later this year. She lives in Montpelier.
The material presented here represents the opinion of the author and does not reflect the opinions of The Bridge. Commentaries may be submitted to editor@montpelierbridge.com. Preference is given to submissions by those who live in central Vermont. Submissions are encouraged to be 500 to 750 words in length.
