Privilege Blog

How To Get Ready For No Kings #3, March 28 2026, or, Saturday Morning

Some of you won’t show up for the No Kings protest on Saturday, March 28th.

  • Your cousin is getting married in Bali that weekend. Dang. But you figure you can support everyone else, so maybe you donate to a sponsoring organization. If that one feels too new, the ACLU and many others are also on board.
  • Alternatively, you just CANNOT. You are tired or hot or cold or overwhelmed, and you just can’t. But come March 28th, as you are driving to the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions for someone you love, you spot a smallish group of people holding up No Kings signs. Maybe you honk. I will tell you that the Honkers are part of the movement and every single honk helps those of us standing on the sidewalk or marching up the road.
  • Edited to add this comment from Maria, below. “I’ve tabled at these and every time heard of at least one vulnerable loved one who was desperate to attend but stayed home for their safety. We all chimed in with please thank them for taking care of themselves and tell them they’re here with us too.” Excellent, excellent point that I neglected in my attempt to write from behind my own eyeballs.
  • We’re all in this together

Now let’s say you decide you do want to go to a No King’s protest. But you’re not sure where or how. You check the Mobilize map. Hey presto, an event near me!

You get excited.

But you waver, as we all do now and then. “I don’t want to go alone.” However, you know some people, and you’re on Facebook, or you have a family chat, or a WhatsApp with your friends,. So you Google “No Kings,” and sure enough, up comes a site with dang good graphics you can use to cajole your friends and family into keeping you company.

Your loved ones say, “Fine, we’ll come.” But they need signs. “What are we going to do about signs?”

“No problem,” you reply. “First of all, you don’t need signs. Just showing up counts. But if you really want one, I have ideas.”

Me too. If you feel creative, use those same No Kings graphics and make a sign of your own. Set up a 36″x24″ file on Photoshop, or Canva, then get it printed on poster board or foam core at Fedex or Staples. Go to Michael’s and buy a dowel amid the tulle, beads and other craft supplies. Attach it to your poster with duct or packing tape.

Alternatively, never mind all that and get paints, felt pens and collage supplies from your cupboards. If you don’t have a dowel, make a something small enough to hold in your hands. A mix of handmade and printed signs makes these events even more joyful. Here are examples from protests past, with all kinds of feelings expressed across many levels of production:

Signs with various funny slogans from the No Kings protest

Notice that a sun hat may be critical. I add sunscreen, water, and little protein snacks of choice. Some people say chocolate but I leave that up to you.

Hmm. I never have. Have you?

The innocent so often suffer most.

One more scenario. You sigh, “My friends don’t see the point. Surely someone’s got a list of why No Kings matters?”

We got you.

If someone cares most about ICE and the secret police

    • Have you seen the detention centers they are building? We need to let construction companies know that we won’t let these go up without a fight

If someone cares most about the Iran war:

    • Iran may have a terrible regime, but this war is not the way to make that change
    • The leadership has been incredibly incompetent here. Qataris say Trump’s people didn’t even pay attention to the translations of the discussions, and missed the signs Iran was willing to negotiate
    • We spent $11 trillion dollars in the first week of this war that could have gone to people here.
    • Protests against war are an American tradition
    • Surely you don’t support Hegseth and his Christian nationalism, war fighters, and nonsense expenses?

And if someone cares most about losing our democracy, AKA our right to choose our elected representatives in free and fair elections?

    • Protests were the engine of the Civil Rights movement, the foundation of the modern era we want to preserve. They matter.
    • While the SAVE act is expected to fail in next week’s vote, those who know they will lose in free elections will try again. We want them to know we are never giving up the fight.
    • By organizing now, by practicing and realizing it’s not too hard to show up, we will be ready for non-violent actions to support voters should that be necessary

 

HOW DO PROTESTS HELP, AGAIN?

Protests instill doubt in the powerful and build national capacity for widespread resistance and action should we need it. Witness the Minneapolis community and Kristi Noem. It’s pretty astonishing, what we can make happen.

You find this all really compelling. Me too.

But. One more sigh. Your sister, the perpetual doubter, remains reluctant. She wants to see the faces of some of the people in charge. You tell her that each event has local leaders, but she’s not satisfied. “Who’s in charge of THEM?” she says. “Well,” you say, “Maybe not in charge, per se, but the Indivisible groups were started by Ezra Levin and his now-wife Leah Greenberg, and they host a weekly hour-long Zoom webinar called, “What’s the Plan?” that’s really useful.”

She doesn’t appreciate you joking she should start a local Indivisible group, since she’s always liked to boss people around, but she does accept your calendar invitation for the next What’s The Plan, this Thursday.

And you close up your laptop, put that phone in your pocket, and head out to buy some more black beans. Or salad makings. Or turmeric or star anise. No matter how sad, scary and enraging things might be, at least you’ve done what you could.

We are the majority, we who believe in the rights of all and the laws of our Constitution, we who know compassion has to trump hate if we are to continue. Have a wonderful weekend.

P.S. This week was what gets us going, next week, what can settle us down:)

 

48 Responses

  1. – If you can’t go, another way to support is to be a check-in for someone who’s attending. Agree on a contact time and contingency plan.
    – Read your local guidelines on what to use for signs; at one of our events we were asked to avoid anything resembling a stick that could be weaponized against us
    – wear shoes you can stand and move in
    – our local event already put out a donor request page for snacks, water, supplies — many ways to participate
    – “honkers” are a big deal in our area — some decorate their cars and go around in a caravan. It’s really joyful and touching.
    – I’ve tabled at these and every time heard of at least one vulnerable loved one who was desperate to attend but stayed home for their safety. We all chimed in with please thank them for taking care of themselves and tell them they’re here with us too.
    – chocolate is always part of the answer for me :)

    1. So excellent. Thank you. And your point about those who stay home for safety is so well-taken, and I left it out in my attempt to tell the story from my own perspective, that I’m going to edit the post to add.

      1. The most beautiful part of your perspective is how gracefully you make room for others. Thank YOU.

        1. I felt it, but didn’t quite know how to word it, so thank you Maria and Lisa.

          I learn something new here every Saturday.

    1. I love this! I’m so glad he’s having fun. I did too. Some of us design, some of us scribble, it’s all good and fun is even better.

  5. This is such a fantastic post, Lisa, and just seeing those signs gives me a boost of hope. Thank you! I still really love your Constitution and Declaration of Independence signs too — are you bringing them? Two relatives of mine were signers as well, but (I imagine this goes along with the theme of the blog?) I don’t feel they were “the good kind” and am not brave enough to open myself up to conversations, at least at this point in life. I am still 100% certain they’d be irate about our new self-declared “king.”

    Showing solidarity with those being victimized both at home and abroad is one of the most important reasons to show up and protest, to me. I hear and perceive that it’s a priceless comfort to feel seen and see proof that “we the people” do not approve of the mistreatment of anyone.

    A tightly-rolled and heavily-taped piece of poster board can work nicely as a substitute for a dowel, I think — so no worries even if there’s no Michael’s nearby or if no weaponizable sticks are allowed. Tape two together end to end for more length — it will make the sign much more comfortable to hold aloft.

    Have a wonderful, wonderful weekend. Still not sure why I can’t get any emojis to show up except the heart, but here you go! ❤️

    1. I feel all the emojis you cannot say:) And for your ancestors, fun to have another with that family history, and they were most of them awful in today’s understanding, no? But they did write the Constitution, and they did write the Declaration, and by so doing they articulated the concepts of rights and justice that we have attempted to apply to everyone in the centuries since. I found that people thought it was fun to see that America still has families in those lines, and that hey, guess what, we want to reclaim that dream so hands off! But to each her own. Assuredly.

      Finally, “showing solidarity with those being victimized both at home and abroad is one of the most important reasons to show up and protest, to me. I hear and perceive that it’s a priceless comfort to feel seen and see proof that “we the people” do not approve of the mistreatment of anyone,” yes. Beautifully said and thank you for reminding me of that aspect of protests.

      1. Knowing you has made me braver, Lisa, and your positive experience is heartening. I do feel responsible for the way the “great experiment” has gone — and righteously angry that someone has very nearly stolen it from us, the people, and made it his own heartless machine. I’m sure I’ll talk about it with anyone who’s curious one day, and maybe that day will even come sooner than I think. Thank you so much for the kind words and for sharing your thoughts and encouragement. xo

  8. Thank you. I read it just takes 3.5% of the population to protest to effect change.

    1. Yes! That’s what research by Erica Chenoweth shows. Non-violent protest is more effective than violence, and if ~3.5% of the population shows up, particularly on a sustained basis, true change can happen.

  9. Already working on my sign “Dear World, We’re sorry and are working to get rid of him. Love, “

  10. I hate what that man has done and has dragged the UK into his illegal war..

    Brilliant post, I hadn’t realised feelings in the US ran so strong.

    Thinking of you all.

    1. Thank you. So sorry! And yes, if you look at his polling now, only ~40% or less of population supports what he’s doing. I only hope we the majority can right the ship.

  11. Lisa, this is a brilliant post! So many ideas, so much enthusiasm, such thoughtfulness about how even the least active of us can participate – you have quite fired me up! My foot problems keep me from walking or standing, but I CAN sit, so I will be at one of our local events in my folding blue camp chair, bedecked with American flags, with two-sided signs on my hands (like mittens – smaller pieces of poster board stapled together) to wave with ease.

    One side will, say “NO – KINGS” of course, still deciding on the other…

    1. Thank you, Victoire. So sorry your feet are troubling you, but I have to say I love the vision of your flagged-up camp chair and the Bernie in Mittens Meme reference:).

  13. Lisa this is awesome! I am going to add this to my blog today and link to your thoughts here. Very inspiring and we need all of us right now. I plan to be out there in our small town of Los Gatos! x Kim

    1. Kim, I’m honored. Your presence, as I’ve said before, is so kind but steadfast in your believes. Thank you. We need all of us. I’ll be in Oakland with my sister. Let us gather.

  14. I will be one of those unable to protest. I’ll be in the hospital recuperating from surgery. But just wanted to reiterate that honks from passing drivers really does matter. It creates a feeling of solidarity in a movement where we can feel so alone in our grief at what this regime has done, and is doing to our country.

    1. I will send you best vibes for a full and fast recovery from surgery. I agree, the best thing is to feel not alone. Makes it much easier to act, for me.

  16. Three cheers here from London. We are facing a time of huge uncertainty and nobody will be untouched. I wish you luck and stay safe. Will be watching.

    1. Thank you. I hope the news can carry to all the others countries we’ve affected with our troubles.

    1. I am sure there’s nothing this administration wants more then to prevent us protesting, oh, except for preventing us from voting.

  18. Democrats love shut downs, protesting, riots, strikes, resistance, disruption, chaos, blocking highways, not paying TSAs at airports, censorship, boycotting, open borders, increased crime in minority neighborhoods, graffiti and trashed cities versus democracy at the polls with only American citizens voting.

    1. Answering at full volume, with the facts, for anyone who happens to stop by the blog in the next 10 days.

      The shutdowns are the Republicans as much as Democrats, no riots have occurred in recent years, strikes are non=partisan, we HATE Trump’s chaos, we don’t mind blocking a highway or two, Democrats have proposed five times to fund TSA and Republicans have refused, boycotting corporations with discriminatory practices is a great idea, no elected Democrat is advocating open borders, what increased crime are you even talking about, and have you been to San Francisco or Los Angeles lately? They are beautiful. And, fortunately for California and tragically for Texas, no one is dying of measles here. By the way, here’s a study using the Heritage Foundation’s own data showing that since 1980 there are only 68 cases of undocumented immigrants voting illegally. Hardly worth married women who changed their names losing their rights to vote with the Republicans’ SAVE Act. All I can say is, NO KINGS! Actually, I’ll add, NO FASCISTS. If you want the current Republican administration in power, look into your heart and understand why that really is.

        1. I highly doubt anyone has asked the Cubans whether they are in need of being “freed,” and I also assume they’d really like their fuel for electricity restored.

  19. I’ve have never read your blog as I see it on a blog roll of a sewing blog I read, but I read this one because 28/3 is my birthday and the title intrigued me. Please know everyone, the world is with you. Go out, protest the pseudo king and reject their cruel, corrupt and inhumane mandate. I applaud you.

  20. Thank you,Lisa! First time in my life I can’t be”in the streets”.I’m 91 and recovering from a major setback. I do,however,write postcards to swing states. In solidarity,Annette

    1. Thank you, Annette, for all the years you did this work and your words here. I hope you recover soon and well.

  21. Solidarity from the UK. I will be thinking of all of you on the 28th but particularly of my 88 year old aunt in California who will be attending. It’s her first ever protest.