Last Saturday, thousands of community members gathered together in Glenwood Springs for another No Kings day of action, speaking out in defense of democracy and in opposition to the tyranny of the Trump regime.

The energy in Bethel Plaza and along Grand Avenue felt like a block party as much as a protest, with live music, dancing, singing, kids playing with bubbles, and countless creative and humorous costumes.

Nationwide, about 7 million Americans across all 50 states participated in No Kings demonstrations, making it the largest single day of peaceful protest in American history!

The message of these events was captured well by one of my favorite photos from our local rally: a family of four walking together with one kid on his dad’s shoulders, each of them holding up a colorfully-decorated handwritten sign, which together read, “We Believe in Kindness, Democracy, Human Decency.”

Other signs advocated for ending corporate greed, un-masking ICE, and protecting food programs for kids. Tying together the messages was a common theme of promoting kindness, respect, and caring for each other – in a nutshell: Love thy neighbor. 

With the Trump regime sending masked agents to terrorize families in the middle of the night, stripping healthcare from seniors, and posting AI-generated images of Trump himself dumping sewage on Americans, a commitment to loving one’s neighbor has become a political stance.

Like authoritarian leaders before him, Trump uses nationalist religious rhetoric, in this case Christian Nationalism, to bolster far-right ideologies of white supremacy and male dominance, and to justify attacks on immigrants, people of color, and the LGBTQ community.

Faith communities are uniquely positioned to counter this Christian nationalist narrative, support those who are under attack, and speak out against the injustices and cruelty of the Trump regime.

Many prominent faith leaders have courageously stood up to Trump. Episcopal Bishop Marian Budde implored Trump to show mercy, especially to immigrants and LGBTQ+ people, at the Inaugural Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral. Pope Francis challenged Trump’s treatment of immigrants in a letter to all Bishops in the US.

They follow in the footsteps of faith communities throughout history and across the globe that have played a vital role in pro-democracy, anti-authoritarianism movements. 

In 2020, over 150 Brazilian Catholic bishops signed a letter denouncing then-President Bolsonaro for taking steps toward totalitarianism. In Zambia in 2001, when the government banned protests, churches responded by organizing pro-democracy prayer meetings. 

During the 1986 People Power campaign in the Philippines, nuns physically blocked soldiers by kneeling down in front of them, a courageous act that helped prevent a violent crackdown against the Filipino people and prompted some soldiers to defect. 

In America, Black churches formed the backbone of almost every campaign of the Civil Rights Movement. In the 1800’s, churches offered the tunnels under sanctuaries as part of the Underground Railroad, hiding people for hours or sometimes weeks, to help them escape slavery.

Here in Garfield County several local churches have boldly taken a stand against the MAGA agenda. St. Barnabas Episcopal Church and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church organized a Walk for Justice on Ash Wednesday, including rainbow flags and signs such as, “We all rise together. Women, Immigrants, LGBTQ+, Black & Brown, Native.”

The Roaring Fork United Methodist Churches Justice Ministries Team recently organized a showing of the award-winning documentary 1946, which breaks down the misconception that there is a biblical basis for anti-LGBTQ prejudice.

Earlier this month the local Mennonite community organized a regional stop of the national Mennonite Action training tour, To Build Our Courage. Their training sessions aim to provide people with tools for addressing issues from the genocide in Gaza to the kidnapping of our neighbors by ICE. “To be effective peacemakers in today’s world,” they explain, “requires us to step into public, nonviolent confrontation with the powerful forces that perpetuate violence and oppression in our name.”

We know from examples of democratic backsliding in nations across the world that pro-democracy movements are most effective when they involve multiple sectors of a society, from the business community to faith communities. Our best chance of defeating fascism lies in building a strong civil resistance movement including massive protests, robust mutual aid networks, and broad refusal to cooperate with the authoritarian regime.

If you were at last Saturday’s rally, share your experience with others to encourage those on the sidelines to join the pro-democracy movement. If you weren’t there on Saturday, we welcome you next time. If you’re connected to a faith community or another community group, talk with the folks in your group about how you can take action and speak out boldly on the side of love and kindness.

Debbie Bruell of Carbondale is a former chair of the Garfield County Democrats and is a past member of the Roaring Fork Schools Board of Education.