‘No Kings, No Fear’: On June 14, Kentuckians rallied to defend democracy | Opinion
While Donald Trump staged a $45 million taxpayer-funded military spectacle in Washington, D.C.—complete with squeaky tanks, out-of-step marching, and sparse crowds—several thousand people showed up in Lexington to raise our voices. We didn’t gather to boost the ego of a would-be dictator. We came together to defend democracy.
The No Kings rally was peaceful, joyous, and deeply patriotic. People chanted, drummed, and cheered in solidarity as car horns and cheers rang out from passing traffic. Flags flew and handmade signs with messages like “No Kings Since 1776,” “Billionaires: The Only Minority Ruining this Country,” and “Honor Vets — Uphold the Constitution” filled the plaza, carried by young and old, Black and white, queer and straight, disabled and abled, veteran activists and first-time protesters. Many told us it was the first protest they had ever attended.
We received hundreds of messages, filled with hope, urgency, grief, and deep gratitude during the rally and in the days that followed. One attendee told us, “After all that’s occurred in the last five or so months, I had to join the fight for our democracy.” Another wrote, “I came because I’m tired of being afraid. This reminded me I’m not alone.”
Kentucky author Silas House energized the crowd with words that conveyed a hard truth—that the threat of autocracy isn’t just about one man, but about every elected official enabling his assault on the Constitution, civil rights, and the rule of law: “If we can get the bootlickers out of Congress, Trump will have no power.”
As we rallied in the heart of the city, nearly 20 other communities across Kentucky held their own events from Louisville to Somerset. No Kings events across the country were organized entirely by volunteers. No corporate backing. No paid staff. Just everyday Americans, fed up with the rising tide of authoritarianism, deciding to take a stand. In our spare time, 75 Lexington-area organizers and volunteers planned and executed our rally using free online tools, virtual meetings, and memes.
Our goals are bold but grounded in research. Nonviolent resistance movements succeed when just 3.5% of the population participates regularly. For context, in Lexington, that’s about 11,200 people. Now we’re planning continuing protest actions and preparing for our next major event—the Good Trouble Day of Action on July 17. We aim to keep growing this movement to get 3.5% participation and beyond, through rallies, mutual aid, organizing, voter education, and sustained civic engagement.
We’re not naive. We know this won’t be easy. Immigration raids are escalating. Civil liberties are eroding. The current administration is openly using the military and courts for political ends. Essential federal services are being decimated. Citizens and even elected officials are being arrested unlawfully, journalists are being threatened, and protesters surveilled. But we are not deterred.
This moment demands more than outrage. It demands ACTION.
We know the signs. History has warned us what happens when good people remain silent. And so we speak. Loudly.
To those in power who hoped we’d stay home in the rain: we didn’t. To those who buy into the rhetoric that these protests are violent: they’re not. To those who hoped this would be a one-off outburst: it won’t be. And to those who think Kentuckians will quietly accept a slide into fascism: you don’t know Kentucky like we do.
No Kings was never about a single rally. It’s about a people rising. Because no one is coming to save us. Not the courts, not Congress, not the media. We are building a movement strong enough to withstand and defeat the forces trying to dismantle our democracy.
There are no kings or tyrants in America. The people won’t stand for it. Not now. Not ever.
Kelly Smith is an organizer with the Bluegrass Activist Alliance. This was also signed by the Gathering for Democracy, KY120 United AFT, NAACP Lexington-Fayette Branch, Peaceful Bluegrass Resistance, and Progress Kentucky. To learn more about us and RSVP for upcoming event, visit https://linktr.ee/ky_action_coalition