A week to walk...for so many reasons

by Mary Reiman

Let’s begin by walking through this week in history. 

June 8th, 1789, in an address to the House of Representatives, James Madison proposed amending the Constitution to include the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment includes the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Do our elected officials remember the Bill of Rights? 

June 9th, 1954, during the Senate Army-McCarthy hearings, Army special counsel Joseph N. Welch berated Senator Joseph McCarthy, asking: “Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”    It is now 2025, how does our Congress defines ‘decency’ today?

June 10th, 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed into law the Equal Pay Act of 1963, aimed at eliminating wage disparities based on gender. 62 years ago. Today the Center for American Progress reports that full-time working women, regardless of hours or weeks worked, will not obtain parity until 2052. 

June 11th, 1963, the University of Alabama was desegregated as Vivian Malone and James Hood became the first two Black students allowed to enroll in classes.

Governor George Wallace initially blocked the doorway to the auditorium where course registration was taking place, delivering a speech before deferring to National Guard orders to move.  The National Guard has been deployed throughout the country this week.

June 12th, 1942, Anne Frank received a diary for her 13th birthday. Her family went into hiding from the Nazis a month later. How many children are in hiding today?

June 13th, 1966, the Supreme Court ruled in Miranda v. Arizona. Criminal suspects had to be informed of their constitutional rights to remain silent and consult with an attorney. How is this ruling interpreted today?

June 14th, 1775, the Continental Army, forerunner of the United States Army, was created by the Second Continental Congress. My dad was in the Army from 1942-1945. 

What will the American History textbooks say about the days of June in 2025? 

If you watched the Tony Awards on Sunday evening, you heard many actors and directors giving voice to how they feel about the state of our nation. Francis Jue, for his role in Yellow Face, won Best performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play. In his acceptance speech he passionately said to those who feel disenfranchised. “I see you.”

As we walked this weekend, I looked around our community. The streets were lined with homemade signs. All ages holding those signs. Boomers, Gen X, Millenials, Gen Z and Generation Alpha (some in strollers). Walking to remind ourselves, as well as our government officials, that we are guaranteed our rights.

We walked for Pride, for our Rights, for our Democracy. We walked in this city of generous souls who donated $9,501,701 this year to 502 nonprofit organizations on Give to Lincoln Day. It is what we can do…and we did. We can give directly to our community for the many, many, many organizations that support those in need…and we did. We can’t always convince our legislators or our state officials or our federal officials to fund much needed resources (health care/food inequities/public education/libraries and museums, to name a few), but we can do so locally…and we did. I am proud of our city. And I greatly appreciate all who work tirelessly advocating for their organizations.  

So on this Flag Day, we dissent. Because it is our right. To show we are concerned/worried by comments such as “I didn’t read it” and “I didn’t mean it” from our elected officials. 

So many handwritten signs from today’s peaceful protest demonstrating the fears and frustrations, such as:

“We the people are the final guard rail”

“First they came for the immigrants”

“I’m too old to be this mad”

“Seeking safety is not a crime”

"Free speech. Free country"

"Fight ignorance not immigrants"

"We no longer have a difference of opinion. We have a difference of morality"

Standing together, sharing stories, helped us each realize we are not alone.

We are making, in the words of John Lewis, ‘good trouble.’

And we will keep walking...