Across the country this past weekend, millions upon millions took to the streets for the third NO KINGS protests. There was something for everybody who loves democracy there, and one thing we all know as union members is that our country works best, just like our worksites work best, when everybody’s voice gets heard!

One SEIU 1021 member who attended the Oakland rally and march was Hannah Joy Wirshing, a child welfare worker for Alameda County. She said, “I believe organizing and gathering together is how we make change. It builds community, and seeing that other people want to make change is very empowering. From my worksite to the world, things seem really difficult right now, but the cure for feeling powerless is taking action. We gotta keep showing up, even when things seem their worst. My dad was a union member before me, and he helped me start protesting at a young age, and taught me that this is how we build power. He loved to quote Joe Hill’s saying, ‘Don’t mourn–organize!’ and that’s what today’s protest is all about.”

“I’ve been out here since 1968. This moment is scarier than 1968,” said SEIU 1021 member and San Francisco city worker Judy Sorro, who joined the labor contingent at the San Francisco No Kings march. “This guy in power is beyond anything I’ve ever seen before in my lifetime. It’s happening here, not in some other part of the world. I hope people wake up. I think they will.”

“What Trump is doing is totally unfair,” said Burt Wilson, a San Francisco 911 dispatcher and SEIU 1021 member who came out to Saturday’s march. “War. Immigration. These are hardworking people. Just because they don’t have citizenship doesn’t mean they’re not helping the U.S.”

Making real change and reclaiming our democracy will require all of us. We need to build power in our workplaces and show unity with our communities in the streets. On May 1, International Workers’ Day will see a full day of NO WORK, NO SCHOOL, NO SHOPPING. SEIU 1021 members will be organizing and participating in marches, rallies, and events all across Northern California.