by Alyssa Tillman
The People have one message for Donald Trump: There are no kings in America. The sentiment draws from the founding ideals of American democracy, which emerged through a resistance to tyranny. Virginia’s Hampton Roads “No Kings” protests were among thousands of marches across the country last Saturday, with an estimated seven million people in attendance nationwide. This turnout marks the largest single-day protest against tyranny in American history.
The first “No Kings Day” protests were held in June of this year in reaction to President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday and a military parade in Washington, D.C., commemorating the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary. Organizers deliberately held protests elsewhere in the country to draw a contrast between their “people-powered movement” and what they called a “costly, wasteful and un-American birthday parade” AP News reports. A second “No Kings” day was planned by national organizers in response to the immigration crackdowns and military intervention in cities, actions by the Trump administration that protesters view as authoritarian in nature.
Governor Glenn Youngkin announced earlier in the week that the National Guard would be ready for the state-wide protests, stating that Virginians have a right to free speech and peaceful assembly, but that those rights do not include “the destruction of property, looting, vandalism, disruption of traffic or violence of any kind.” There were no reports of arrests being made in Newport News and police presence was neither intimidating or overwhelming. Peace and safety remained a priority throughout the demonstration.
The Virginia chapter of the national grassroots 50501 movement organized the second “No Kings” protests in Newport News and Williamsburg, where thousands of protestors peacefully gathered on the sidewalk at the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Oyster Point Road and the Williamsburg-James City County Courthouse plaza. Supporters behind the wheel honked and waved, their blaring horns creating a steady roar that echoed for miles down the road.
People of all ages, abilities and identities could be seen for miles down the road, but the older generations made up the majority of the crowd. Veterans who fought for the country, lifetime activists, teachers, parents, introverts, extroverts, registered republicans, etc. all showed up with the unifying message that America does not belong to kings, dictators or tyrants. Democratic Virginia House of Delegates candidates Jessica Anderson and Dr. Mark Downey were featured speakers at the Williamsburg protest. Anderson spoke on Trump’s presidency and the importance for voters to elect Democrats into office in the upcoming election. “We have a president who does not care about the Constitution. He does not care about the freedoms that this country was built upon,” she told the crowd. Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones, who visited CNU earlier this month for Captain Votes Day, was also briefly in attendance at the Newport News protest.
Six days prior to the protest, “No Kings” volunteer organizer Heather M. relayed the message from the national organizers that the color for this event would be yellow. The ask to wear yellow was made to align the “No Kings” movement with a certain historical context. Yellow is a “visible, optimistic banner that carries the weight of democratic struggle, nonviolent dissent, and a reminder that power must stem from the people, not from crowns,” as explained on the “No Kings” website. Organizers drew inspiration from Hong Kong protesters’ yellow umbrellas, South Korea’s protest ribbons after the Sewol ferry tragedy and Ukraine’s Yellow Ribbon movement. These movements turned ordinary yellow objects into symbols for the fight against government suppression.
“No Kings” protesters did wear yellow, but they also wore silly inflatable costumes varying from frogs, chickens, bald eagles and dinosaurs to Garfield the cat, unicorns and narwhals. Protesters’ costumes weren’t limited to inflatable figures — just as many Uncle Sams, George Washingtons and Lady Libertys showed up to fight authoritarianism. Ahead of the Saturday protests, The Trump team and its Republican allies suggested that the “No Kings” rallies would be chock full of “terrorist sympathizers” and Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas predicted that “paid protesters” and “agitators” would require calling in the National Guard, CNN reports. The decision to wear costumes came from protesters’ desire to combat this narrative, lower tensions and emphasize the sentiment of nonviolence.
Williamsburg and Newport News protesters waved flags and carried posters representing a myriad of political issues and movements, including Black Lives Matter, immigration, the economy, LGBTQIA+ rights and support for Palestine. Protesters were instructed to create signs that do not use sticks or anything else for support that can be perceived as a weapon. Many protesters opted for humorous messages, one sign reading “Veto the cheeto” with a drawing of President Trump as an orange cheeto. Other signs amplified the message of antiauthoritarianism, reading “Protect the Constitution” and “This is the government the founders warned us about.” The majority of attendees carried American flags and signs reading “No Kings.”
Together, these messages reflected a diverse but unified front that was far from chaotic. These demonstrations in Newport News and Williamsburg were not only visually striking, but deliberately peaceful and deeply intentional.
