Thank You, Minnesota, for Being the Light in Our Hour of Darkness, and for Welcoming Me Back Home!

Where were you on No Kings Day 3, dear subscribers? Let me know in the comments below. I was in the Twin Cities, hosted by the amazing St. Joan of Arc Catholic Community, and its Welcome the Stranger ministry, which put together a busy week of service, public speaking, networking, and story capturing for me. It was the perfect conclusion of another exhausting — but extremely fulfilling — leg on my now 20-month speaking tour following the launch of Crossing the Line: Finding America in the Borderlands (and the reason you haven’t heard from me in a while). It was also my birthday! And I was honored to celebrate in the company of 200,000+ Minnesotans, in person and in spirit, including members of my own extended family. You are all heroes to me. Surrounded by the peaceful vibes of ordinary folks moved to extraordinary kindness in resistance to the demented whims of a warmongering man-child and would-be king, we were serenaded by Bruce Springsteen, Maggie Rogers, and Joan Baez… We rocked to the Brass Solidarity band. Founded in 2021, in response to the murder of George Floyd, Brass Solidarity’s every tune expresses that Black Lives Matter… And we were roused to participation by Singing Resistance, a grassroots movement born of the violent federal occupation of Minneapolis that harnesses collective song-making as a form of nonviolent protest against ICE, injustice, and rising fear. During the pre-event gathering, Singing Resistance could be heard in the distance, performing the song I gifted to the movement for this auspicious day:From the steps of the gold-domed Minnesota state capitol in St.Paul, we enjoyed inspirational speeches by Indivisible’s co-founders, Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg; state and congressional lawmakers, including Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT); local grassroots leaders, many of whom I met and trained with during my time in the area; the incomparable Jane Fonda; and steadfast Robert DeNiro, who beamed in from the No Kings Day 3 rally in New York City — all of it deftly moderated by Lizz Winstead.Chilly temps and strong winds made for a nippy day, but the sun shone bright, with nary a cloud in sight, and the crowd exuded only warmth and solidarity. I saw no evidence of counter-protest by members of the MAGA cult. There was not even a hint, not a whiff, of the “left-wing violence” that the Trump regime’s propaganda machine tries to inculcate its supporters to believe is a thing. It isn’t. The only violence is MAGA violence, ICE violence, Border Patrol violence, Trump / Miller / Homan / Noem / Hegseth / Rubio / Vought / etc. violence. And their cruelty is not okay!They are the Worst of the Worst. Not us.We are peaceful. We are non-violent. Minnesota proved that. Plus…We make protest signs great again!Estimates to date state that we were more than 8 million in the streets for No Kings Day 3. And for every person who showed up to march and sing and chant and dream, there were three who could not make it due to work commitments or health concerns. That’s 24 million — more than the magical 3.5% of the population needed to throw off the yoke of rising authoritarianism. So, we cannot stop resisting now!Trump’s popularity has hit rock bottom. His base is crumbling. His madness spiraling. When pushed into a corner, he goes on the attack. And we already know what one of his next victims is: the upcoming 2026 midterm elections. He and his minions know they cannot win without cheating. So we must ensure that they cannot. But this week we celebrate. Wins are good. We continue to reimagine the world we wish to live in. And next week, we get back to the work of saving our democracy. To aid the effort, I’ll be back in your inbox soon with stories from the Minnesota and Arizona resistance communities. Stay strong, my friends. The only way through this is…Together!✊🏻 SarahWhere were you on No Kings Day 3? Let me know in the comments below. And please tap the ❤️ and “restack” emojis to get this post circulating. THANK YOU! Tales of Humanity is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Tales of Humanity at sarahtowle.substack.com/subscribe