As announced at our last meeting, I will be stepping down from my role as co-chair in January to focus on my campaign for the Georgia House of Representatives. Serving as your co-chair has been a profound honor. Thank you for the trust you placed in me and for the opportunity to help lead our chapter during a period of such dynamic growth.
I am constantly inspired by our membership, by your unwavering engagement and the good you create in our community. At a time when so many are struggling just to survive, you show up, do the hard work, and actively build a stronger, more resilient Savannah.
I write this on New Year’s Eve, a natural moment for reflection on both the year behind us and the path ahead. This past year, our chapter achieved remarkable things.
We officially incorporated as an organization.
We held our first fundraiser.
We amplified the struggles of residents at Yamacraw Village.
We helped expand the local ICE rapid response network and educated neighbors on how to support our migrant communities.
We celebrated a hard-fought victory with the workers of Foxy Loxy, proving once again that when we unionize, we win.
We continued our weekly mutual aid distributions, serving countless in our community.
And on the national stage, we watched DSA enter mainstream conversation with Zohran Mamdani’s historic win in New York and our own Atlanta comrade, Kelsey Bond who was elected to the Atlanta City Council.
People are hungry for change, and we are helping to lead the way. As we move into the new year, our April convention will shape our chapter’s priorities. On January 11, the newly formed Affordable Housing Coalition will have its first meeting. Together, we will continue to grow, to deepen our impact, and to build toward a more free, democratic, and humane society, one where people have a real voice in the decisions that shape their lives.
While I am stepping down from this role, I am not stepping away. I will remain alongside you in our shared work, and if the chapter chooses to endorse my campaign, I look forward to standing with many of you on the trail. I have full confidence in our chapter’s future, knowing that every comrade stepping up to serve as co-chair will provide excellent leadership.
It has been an honor and a privilege. Happy New Year and I look forward to continuing our work in 2026!
Like many people across the left, I have mixed feelings about the No King Protests. As I reflect on my experience, I recognize that two things can be true at once. I can feel angry that it’s taken people so long to get out and protest. I can also feel hopeful that now that these people are out here, they can be pushed to do more.
These two takeaways from No Kings 2 are not so mutually exclusive. Instead, one makes the other more urgent. Because it’s taken so many so long to start protesting, we have to work harder and faster to push these people to more meaningful action. If that isn’t immediately obvious, I hope my experience of No Kings can help clarify.
As is my custom, I arrived late. Circling the largest rally crowd I’d ever seen in town, I saw signs referencing jokes and memes from the Daily Show, Late Night, Jimmy Kimmel, and Facebook. If not for that time spent in Houston, I wouldn’t have understood many of these references myself, their origins in a corner of the internet older and further right than what my algorithm lets me see.
Protesters gather outside a “Kimmel Live!” studio, displaying various signs including one labeling an “EPSTEIN DISTRACTION” and another calling for “FREE SPEECH.”
After a loop, I found the DSA table, locked up my bike and prepared to make myself useful. The table’s location on the periphery made it easier to take an outsider’s perspective on the affair. So, as I stood there, standing on the largest crowd I’d ever seen at an event of this size, a bitterness rushed over me. That bitterness lingered during the event but would give way to optimism and energy in the days that followed.
I stood there, listening to speakers who had suddenly found a voice after 2 years of silence. Where were they on Oct. 15, 2023, the first protest for Palestine in Savannah? I didn’t hear them then nor had I heard them since. They spoke of rights, of freedom, some as bold as to call it liberation. Had they not known there was a liberation movement before Trump’s inauguration?
I stood there. Looking out over a crowd so unfamiliar from the one’s I’m used to seeing. More diverse in age, to be sure. But I couldn’t help but wonder, where were they all this time? They knew how to make signs, how to chant, how stand in solidarity. Did they learn how to do all this only after Trump was inaugurated?
I stood there. Wondering. Wondering who in this crowd didn’t care enough for Palestinian rights, Palestinian freedoms, Palestinian liberation, to stand in solidarity. Who in this crowd was hostile to the very notion. Who in this crowd had shouted down my comrades and I for speaking out, lest we “cost the Democrats” the election? Who in this crowd shouted down my partner at the time for interrupting Kamala not once, but twice—first as VP, then as candidate. Surely there were people here who had booed her and other comrades for exercising these same rights of speech they now claim to care so deeply for.
A large crowd gathers at the Forsyth Park fountain in Savannah, Georgia, for the “No Kings” protest on June 14, 2025, a nationwide day of action.
I shuffled my feet. Had it gotten hotter? I tried to loosen my jaw and exhale. As anyone at the table that day can attest, that bitterness took root and expressed itself. But, trying to be of service, I tried to shake it off.
In the days since, I’ve had time to reflect on that bitterness and anger. I’ve tried to understand it and learn from it. I have no answers yet, but hope that through reflection and this piece, we can begin to take steps forward, away from the madness, away from the lowerst bar imaginable (no kings) and towards a more democratic, equal, and just world.
If you feel bitterness, indignation, and anger at seeing people only now take to the streets, I’m with you. Fighting against monarchy 10 months into a dictator’s rule through non-disruptive rallies feels like the defintion of “A day late and a dollar short.” So, like me, give yourself that moment to just scream “what took you so long?!”
From Anger to Action
As I let that righteous rage express itself, I let it turn me towards a clarity of purpose. We’ve crossed a threshold, new players have entered, and the whole game is up for grabs. Yes, it’s taken far too many people far too long to get off the couch, away from the screen and to the streets. But now that they’re here, anything can happen.
Socialism, communism, anarchy, and every political persuasion in between will never be built in isolation. Mass political action in the public square is their natural habitat and now folks have gotten a taste of what that looks like for the first time. We know the importance of resistance, organization, mutual aid, and solidarity but for many of the No Kings attendees, this was their first foray into uncharted territory.
Speaker after speaker reiterated not letting things end with the protest. It would be hard for anyone present to have left with the idea that they’d accomplished something through their attendance. Instead, many people I never thought would be interested in socialism came up to our DSA table to ask what we had to offer and what more they could do. But let’s not get too carried away.
Trump has moved these people to march. We must move them to real action. The protest’s narrow focus against Trump reflects the priorities of many of those attendees. The bitterness I felt reflects the reality that many attendees are content with a microdose of fascism that doesn’t directly affect or offend them. Deportations, yes; mass deportations no. Horrible norms, yes; disrupting norms, no.
Protesters gather around the iconic Forsyth Park fountain in Savannah, Georgia, for the “No Kings” protest on June 14, 2025, with diverse signs reflecting various calls for change and social justice.
Our work is cut out for us then. The people who attended No Kings, for better or worse, are some of the warmest people in our local area in terms of political engagement and politics. To be sure, there are latent radicals among us who weren’t there, but they elude our regular channels of engagement. We should continue to strengthen and expand channels to reach those people, but we also need to recognize the opportunity before us.
We must expand their vision from the singular to the systemic. It’s something we’ve tried to do for multiple issues since at least 2020 and policing. It’s something that we’ve seemingly failed to do. So how can we do it effectively?
What Next?
To lay a claim on knowing what we should do would be the height of hubris. I have no idea what we should do, but I do have thoughts on what we can try. While yes, things can always get worse, we on the left are not powerful enough to make them worse ourselves. Let that give us the freedom to experiment with new methods and messages to bring more into the movement.
I believe we should dedicate time and resources to learning how to create compelling short form videos. Not just for chapter social media, but for all of us, as individuals. I believe this can be useful based on anecdoctal insights from No Kings and my recent experience living with my more liberal-minded parents.
First, many of the signs I saw at No Kings referenced memes from the average No Kings protestor’s corner of Facebook. Being very online is not limited by generation and short form videos are the internet’s cultural currency. YouTube gets 5 times more monthly visitors than Facebook even. Additionally, everyone has their preferred influencers and creators that they follow and share. Adding our videos to this mix creates a potent steppingstone for No Kings attendees looking to do more.
Second, older generations are most influenced by their children. This isn’t speculation, it’s borne out in marketing data showing that children influence their parents purchasing decisions more than other marketing channels. Learning how to create convincing short form videos will also let us develop efficient and persuasive speaking skills. Not only will we be able to show our family our videos, it can also help us in our conversations with them. Now obviously talking at your parents or loved ones like an Instagram influencer is not ideal, but the choices of evidence and learning what makes for an effective message will be helpful.
We should likewise take some time to learn more about who these attendees are. While yes, the crowd was the oldest of every protest I’ve ever been to, that doesn’t mean these people are entirely unmovable. The best way to move them is through messages that speak to their interests. We have solutions for every age, let’s not hide them. The affordability message is huge, but that’s not all we have on offer.
I think democratic control of the economy could resonate with folks across generational and ideological lines. Right now, millions of Americans’ retirement plans are built on an AI bubble. They did not decide our entire economy should be rigged to a climate menace that produces nothing much of value. When that bubble bursts, they will be left holding the bag and without enough to retire. We should push them to consider why oligarchs should be the only decisionmakers and why those people should be allowed to tie up their retirement on risky bets?
The other parts of their retirement may also be bound up in companies complicit in Israeli apartheid. I confess I do not know too much of the data, but I believe evidence exists showing that when apartheid fell in South Africa, people invested in those companies lost huge. Let’s learn more and push these folks to consider getting on board with BDS and other action liberatory movements.
In all, I believe that as frustrating as it was at first, the No Kings rally opened my eyes to the opportunity and challenge before us. Moving these people will not be easy but it is essential. Our movement needs people, yes. But more importantly it needs people who share our values and who understand the importance of taking more aggressive action to repel the fascist threat in our time and build the future we want.
AUSTIN Rojas
Another idea might be to provide historical lessons. I find that many believe a better world is possible, but not achievable if that distinction makes sense. They believe that the forces amassed against us are too powerful to completely eliminate. Capitalism, oligarchs, fascists, we could never live without them the thinking goes. My experience as a historic tour guide showed me that a new perspective on the past does wonders for our lens on the present.
Far too much of our history, and as a result our expectations of the present, is based on a great man theory of history. We believe that the past was shaped and reshaped by “great men” or for the liberal, “great people.” We also have adopted a Whiggish interpretation of history which argues that liberty and progress increase over time. The combination of these two allow the liberal to simply wait for the great person to arrive who will then increase liberty and progress. Let’s amplify histories of mass political action getting people wins and show that we can follow in that trajectory instead.
In all, I believe that as frustrating as it was at first, the No Kings rally opened my eyes to the opportunity and challenge before us. Moving these people will not be easy but it is essential. Our movement needs people, yes. But more importantly it needs people who share our values and who understand the importance of taking more aggressive action to repel the fascist threat in our time and build the future we want. Forget liberals searching for the “Joe Rogan of the Left” and embrace a truly bottom up influence campaign.
NAACP Silent Protest Parade, July 28, 1917 — Over 10,000 Black Americans marched silently down Fifth Avenue in New York City to protest the East St. Louis Massacre and other acts of racial terror.
The East St. Louis Massacre – July 1, 1917 Anthony Rivera-Colón
During World War I, East St. Louis, Illinois became a destination for thousands of African Americans fleeing the South as part of the Great Migration. Drawn by factory jobs, more than 10,000 Black workers arrived between 1916 and 1917. But their presence—and their growing role in the industrial workforce—was met with racist hostility by local white residents.
On July 1, 1917, a rumor spread that a Black man had killed a white man. The next day, East St. Louis descended into a week of racial violence. White mobs carried out arson, beatings, and drive-by shootings, targeting Black homes and neighborhoods with the passive support of local authorities.
“This is a massacre that will go down in history as one of the bloodiest outrages against mankind.” — Marcus Garvey
By the end, hundreds of Black residents were killed, thousands were driven from their homes, and over $400,000 in property was destroyed.
The massacre shocked the nation—especially as Black soldiers were being deployed abroad “to make the world safe for democracy.” Civil rights leaders, including Marcus Garvey, condemned the atrocity and called out the hypocrisy of a nation preaching freedom abroad while permitting terror at home.
In the end, there would be no material change from the federal or state government. The federal government refused to prosecute anyone or investigate the complicity of police and city officials. In contrast, many Black residents were charged with crimes—for defending themselves during the mob’s attacks. Congress ignored repeated calls for anti-lynching legislation. Federal anti-lynching laws would not be enacted until 2022… no, that is not a typo.
I highly doubt anyone reading this didn’t know what kind of nightmare we’d be living under a Trump presidency—then or now. So, for those who vote, you voted. Yet here we are. Trans rights dismantled even further at the federal level. Anti-immigrant policies intensify as ICE acts as our de facto Gestapo. The genocide Israel is committing in Gaza remains livestreamed. Voting wasn’t enough.
So you protested.
Protestors march around the Forsyth Park fountain during a “No Kings” rally on Saturday, June 14, 2025 in Savannah, Ga. Richard Burkhart/ Savannah Morning News, USA TODAY Network
You marched. You carried signs and flags. You chanted for all of Savannah to hear. You stood in the streets, in the Georgian heat and walked. You protested because you had to… because you know silence complicity. You know voting will never be enough; it’s time to get out there!
But has anything changed? It would be understandable for anyone to think, “Am I wasting my time? Why am I still doing this?”
Why Do We Protest in the Face of Impossible Odds?
Because protest is a declaration: we are still here and we will not be silent. It’s a refusal to normalize oppression. As Assata Shakur once wrote:
“Nobody in the world, nobody in history, has ever gotten their freedom by appealing to the moral sense of the people who were oppressing them.”
Protest forces confrontation. It disrupts the illusion of consensus. It reminds the powerful that the people are watching—and that we are not content to suffer quietly. When we protest, we are letting not only those in power that we the People are angry . . . we send a message to those who drive past us, watch us from their homes and storefronts. Nothing changes without this first step.
The system wants you to give up. It survives on fatigue. It knows that if it can just outlast your outrage, it wins. As civil rights organizer Ella Baker said:
“We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes.”
Showing up isn’t just about opposing injustice—it’s about building community. Protest is where we meet each other. Where we build trust. Where we start to imagine what comes after the march ends.
But protest alone is not liberation. It is the spark, not the fire.
Why Is Protesting Not Enough?
Because protest without organization is just noise. Because the capitalist state has militarized itself against dissent. Because the police don’t care if you chant “no justice, no peace.” Because private equity firms don’t lose sleep when you hold a sign.
Change doesn’t happen because we make good points. It happens when we organize power. When we build structures that outlast the protests. When we are in the streets and in the meetings. When we disrupt and when we build.
Angela Davis reminds us:
“You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.”
So What Has to Come Next?
Volunteers organize a grassroots mutual aid table providing free food, clothing, hygiene items, and first aid to neighbors in need.
Protesting is step one. But if we stop there, we lose. Now it’s time to organize! We have to:
Organize workers.
Join a union.
Start a union!
Join local mutual aid.
Build dual power structures.
Pressure institutions through direct action.
Run—and support—radical candidates locally.
Help build the infrastructure for continued organizing.
This is what DSA was made for. We’re not just protesting—we’re organizing housing justice campaigns, coordinating strike support, running political education events, campaigning to protect our migrant neighbors, showing up to city council meetings to make our voices heard and building the tools for long-term resistance.
While we would love for you to join the Savannah DSA, if we aren’t your cup of tea, join someone.Be an active member of your community. Ask where you’re most needed—and then bring your skills, your curiosity, and your desire to make a difference.
As Puerto Rican freedom fighter Pedro Albizu Campos said:
“The people will save the people.”
If you feel hopeless, that’s because they’ve trained you to be. But history belongs to the organizers, to activists, to those who resist. The ones who refused to stop at protest and began to work to build something better.
So no—protesting is not enough. But it is a beginning.
If you decide to show up, show up with us! Your local Democratic Socialists of America chapter is more than a banner at a rally—it’s a space to get organized, to get trained, and to get to work. Join a working group. Attend a meeting. Bring a friend.
