That 'No Kings' rally in somebody's front yard
To the older white couple having their at-home, anti-Trump protest, I respect you
The following post is part of my former Substack publication “One Black Woman’s Vote” that is now in “I Do See Color.” To see more OBWV posts from 2025, click here. To see OBWV posts from 2021-2024, click here. New OBWV posts will be published on the last Wednesday of each month.
I goofed. A year and a half of procrastinating on painting a wall after my electric baseboard heater was on fire, I chose the “No Kings” demonstration day to complete the paint job. With a laundry list of items on my to-do list this weekend, the Chicago protest just completely slipped my mind. I was laser focused on getting a bunch of homeowner chores done to get my mind off of something else. (Long Substack story for another day.)
Plus, there was no way I could leave my dog around wet paint in two rooms. She’s already managed to paint her butt with chalk on Juneteenth one year and fall behind a couch and paint her butt again with spackle another time. My do-it-yourself project was destined to result in my overly curious black dog having white spots. I wondered how long it would take me to go downtown for a few hours and come back. I knew I’d have to crate Junee the entire time I was gone because the paint was nowhere near dry. I shrugged my shoulders and settled on staying home. I knew I could always see what Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor J.B. Pritzker had to say online anyway.
The yard sale with nothing to sell
I also had a business-related call about real estate that I’d already planned to take today. In the early afternoon, I headed out the door to take the call while walking my dog and was deep into this conversation when I started hearing the occasional car honking. I looked up, wondering what was going on. My eyes landed on an older white couple (man and woman) sitting in lawn chairs and a second older white lady standing by the curb grass. A car would randomly honk their way, and they’d wave back.
While the person I was talking to was counting down info I needed to know, I kept looking across the street, wondering why their lawn didn’t have any clothes or jewelry or shoes in it. This was a pitiful yard sale. (This block always has a yard sale at least once a week.) I looked a little closer at what I thought was a yard sale sign and smiled. These three were quietly having their own “No Kings” rally in their yard — the only residents on the entire block doing this. Give or take the occasional car driving by and honking, the block was quiet.
“Hold on for just a second, OK?” I asked the person on the other end of the line.
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As soon as I pressed mute on my phone, I let out my inner Lil Jon and shouted out “Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah!” while clapping and cheering them on. I could suddenly see all the teeth of smiling mouths from these otherwise straight-faced yard protesters.
“Keep it up!” I waved. They waved back. And it hit me. While tens of thousands of people met in downtown Chicago to unite against Trump’s antics, there are those who want to support the cause and either can’t physically go downtown or just don’t want to be in large crowds. I loved that they were determined to share their stance even if it was just a matter of sitting in the grass and letting drivers and pedestrians on this quiet street let it be known. No Kings!
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I unmuted my call and went right back to business. While I was initially disappointed and distracted by a few other things that happened today that made me want to paint to get it off my mind, that yard scene gave me an extra pep in my step. For a good part of the day, I’d been distracted by my own non-political issues to take care of. The No Kings Rally is bigger than that. And looking at this yard trio made my other gripes seem small.
Even when you feel like things aren’t going your way, get creative. Find your own way to take a stand.
Did you enjoy this post? You’re also welcome to check out my Substack columns “Black Girl In a Doggone World,” “BlackTechLogy,” “Homegrown Tales,” “I Do See Color,” “One Black Woman’s Vote” and “Window Shopping” too. Subscribe to this newsletter for the weekly posts every Wednesday. Thanks for reading!