On June 14th, I traveled back to my college town for the first No Kings rally. As many times as I’ve walked the streets of that campus, I’ve never seen so many people lining the sidewalks. But the best part was being there with Maggie and Kay—two women who showed me what standing up for democracy looks like.

Getting registered to vote in college was more of a challenge for me than it needed to be. Luckily, Maggie and Kay, who were neighbors of my school, registered every single class of freshmen to vote without fail. What started out as volunteers helping me troubleshoot the voter registration process blossomed into a friendship I maintain to this day.

Trump’s power grabs are getting worse. He’s trying to silence free speech, abusing the Department of Justice to seek revenge on his political opponents, deploying the National Guard against Americans, and engaging in unprecedented corruption to line his pockets and those of the billionaires surrounding him. We’re watching our nation decline into authoritarianism. And unless we take action, that will be the end result.

At the first No Kings, I asked Kay what made her decide to show up that day. She told me she was thinking of young women like her grandchildren, like me, and the kind of world we were inheriting. “This isn’t about me anymore. I’m here today for you.”

Thanks for all you do.

Talia

Senior Social Media Strategist, Stand Up America