Hands Off! Joyce Vance Apr 5 All across the country, people got out and protested today. Big rallies and small ones. In some places, people lined city streets and waved at passing cars. Elsewhere, people gathered in parks or in front of state office buildings. Birmingham, Alabama, was one of those cities. I was excited to see some friends who confided they had never been to a protest before, but thought it was important to be there today. Because we are a community where the economy is fueled by doctors and research done at the University, there were a lot of medical professionals in the crowd, protesting cuts in research work and in the provision of medical care. The LGBTQ community turned out even though they were fearful, as did people protesting Trump’s immigration policies. And there were some Trump voters there too, people who voted for a better economy and got this, whatever this is, instead. Like people across the country, we gathered. Some of my favorite signs were simple and elegant in expressing their message, like this one. My favorite sign was carried by some close friends. I feel the same way when I think about my Grandfather. It was a crowd full of angry people. We are southerners, so we were polite about it as we visited with neighbors and made new friends, but the anger was palpable. If Donald Trump thinks we’re going back quietly, he’s wrong. I ran into not one, but two people wearing the fabulous re-SIS-tence tee-shirts from the Sisters in Law podcast. There were some seriously artistic people in the crowd. It was a gorgeous day here and people enjoyed themselves, but it was also deadly serious. Friends tagged in from across the country. Americans understand what’s at stake. And, from Chattanooga. So many people referred to Cory Booker when they talked about why they were there, a reminder that our own acts can inspire other people to stand for democracy too. Booker told Aaron Parnas in an interview shortly after he finished his tremendous 25-hour filibuster on the Senate floor that we each have to be “little points of ignition” now. “Demanding more of ourselves,” that’s what Cory Booker says comes next. But for today, it was enough to march and to be with friends and fellow American. Courage is contagious. Marching provides encouragement for people who aren’t in the thick of things in Washington or New York. Big protests, little protests, it’s all part of the great cacophony of democracy and a reminder that we still have rights and power, if we are willing to exercise them. Today, Americans marched. We made it clear: We have no intention of sitting down and accepting the end of democracy. If you marched today, tell us about it. We’re in this together, Joyce