Hope in a Dumpster Fire

One Year In/Hope in a Dumpster Fire

March 30th, 2026

To those who argue that protests don't change anything: history demonstrates that you are very much mistaken. From the Abolitionists to the Suffragettes, the Labor Movement to the Vietnam Anti-War Movement, and the Civil Rights Movement to the Gay Liberation Movement—history shows that people in the streets, boycotts and creative political pressure have remade American society over and over again.

Apathy and civic disengagement shapes our society as well. Doing nothing is a political act—it reinforces the status quo or, as we see in our current moment, condones regression.

Over the past year, I have often thought of Martin Niemöller's poem, which is most recognized for its concluding lines: “Then they came for the Jews, And I did not speak out, Because I was not a Jew...Then they came for me, And there was no one left, To speak out for me.”

While less familiar to many Americans are the lines that precede these: “First they came for the Socialists (or Communists, depending on the version)... Then they came for the Trade Unionists.” The poem was a confessional written by a Lutheran Pastor who was initially an anti-communist and an anti-Semite that supported Hitler, until he too would be imprisoned by the fascist state for defending religious freedom.

Those who have been protesting in streets across the country over the past year have heeded the lesson of this poem. An infringement on the constitutional rights of anyone—be it the rights of “illegal immigrants,” “Antifa,” Pro-Palestine activists, or transgender individuals—is an infringement on the rights of us all. Because a sure way of losing your own freedom is ignoring an attack on your neighbor's freedom.

The torrent of protest and resistance sweeping the nation since President Trump began his second term has been presented as only a light mist in corporate media coverage. Many of these outlets have cowardly ducked for cover or have been literally sold to Trump loyalists. The “No Kings” protests have consistently broken records for the largest number of Americans to ever pour into the streets. This past weekend alone, 8 million people participated in 3,000 protests across the country. Yet again, this event seems hardly newsworthy to the consolidated mainstream media—who seem to be increasingly taking cues from their counterparts in the Russian news media.

Fortunately for those who have participated in these events, they do not need the validation of corporate media. They have their own eyes, hearts and minds that seem to be working just fine—and their numbers continue to grow. Being in the streets with people gives hope that a better world is possible. It reaffirms our power as humans, both individually and collectively. It is empowering to walk down the middle of a street with hundreds of others and, in unison, exercise our First Amendment right to freedom of speech by saying, “Fuck Donald Trump!”  It feels good..go ahead, stand by the principles of the Bill of Rights, express your patriotic values and say it out loud at home...FUCK DONALD TRUMP!

One protester's sign I saw over the weekend stated, “Too Many Grievances to List Here” and another expressed a similar sentiment:  “TOO MUCH BULLSHIT FOR ONE SIGN.” Ain't it the truth.

Luckily, with millions of people in the streets, there is more than enough sign space to go around. We can collectively express the myriad of issues we wish to denounce:

No to the war in Iran, No to the murder of peaceful protesters at home, No to unconstitutional ICE terror of immigrant communities, No to the attack on unions and worker rights, No to protecting rich pedophiles, No to the cutting of public aid and our social safety net, No to corporate oligarchy, No to blatant corruption and insider trading, No to the war against clean energy, No to the suppression of voter rights, No to the vilification of trans people and the attack on LGBTQ rights, No to the genocide in Gaza, No to the repression of Palestinian activists and No to both antisemitism and Islamophobia, No to the NSPM-7 order and Free the Prairieland 19, No to the racist backlash against diversity, No to the erasing of public history, No to ignoring scientific data, No to the repression of academic freedom and No to putting Stalin-like propaganda portraits of a sitting president on our public buildings. That's a few anyway.

A positive aspect to being on the road during all of this is that I have been able to witness first hand how widespread the resistance to this administration has become. I have had the opportunity to attend protests in smaller cities, little towns and rural communities alike. This is not just a movement of coastal liberals, it is truly nationwide. The concept of “Red” and “Blue” states has always been nonsense, and these waves of protests serve to prove that point.

Photographs made in Gainesville, FL/ Athens, GA/ Friendsville, MD/ Philadelphia, PA/ Boston, MA/ Aquidneck Island, RI

No Kings/FDT.