Tonight, my son (13) and I went to Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas for a political rally.
I saw an event on Facebook posted by a group called Women & Allies and I decided it was time for my son to learn what being an American is really about.
While frantically painting protest signs and trying to arrange a carpool (because everything I do is at the last minute and poorly planned), I explained to him that one of the defining features of being American is having the freedom of speech.
(Case in point: when someone screamed “TRUMP!!” out of his pickup truck, I explained that just like we had the right to carry our clever signs, that fine gentleman had the right to be poorly informed and belligerent.)
After painting two signs that read, “President-Elect Trump, From Russia with Love,” we joined a woman I met through Pantsuit Republic (Collin County) and headed downtown.
Okay, in the interest of full disclosure, one side of one of the signs read, “President ELECT Trump SUCKS” because this was our first foray into sign making and we were short on time and short on space. My son said it was pretty immature, messaging-wise, and I told him that was okay because it was the sign I was going to make him carry. But I digress.
Around 6:45, we found a small group of people near the Grassy Knoll (yes, THE Grassy Knoll, not A grassy knoll). I found it entirely appropriate that the scene of our protest, with about 20 people, was in front of flags at half-mast.
I’m proud to report that while I was trying to meet the people on the knoll, my son grabbed his sign and, with no prompting from me, began walking up and down Main Street. In fact, I had to stop chatting to join him. I’m also happy to report that we were joined in our walking by a great young woman named Fany, who did not have a sign but did have a glow stick and an activist’s heart (those are the best kind).
So there we were, my son and I and Fany, walking up and down Main Street. There was a small collection of activists behind us on the grass. They had hung a large fabric sign on the bushes that read, “Dallas Supports the Hamilton Electors.” We had one organizer join our walk when she realized her t-shirt was a sign because it read, “Fuck Trump.”
In the hour and a half that we walked up and down Main Street, we got about a dozen positive responses from the cars driving by (honks and flashing lights on high), including the (usually scary/stressful) “whoop whoop” of a Dallas police van that switched on it’s siren momentarily.
We had one large pickup truck veer abruptly toward the curb, slow down to scream “Trump,” and then peel off in a way that left us standing in an alarming large exhaust cloud (how did that truck pass the annual emissions inspection??). But we also had another driver of a large pick up truck later scream “FUCK TRUMP!” This was an important lesson on making assumptions. I had pulled my son away from the curb when the second large pick up truck slowed down and we were all pleasantly surprised by the expletives directed at Trump (and not us).
We had three people walk by and laugh in agreement with the signs and five people sort of hang around with stone faces. I was guessing the latter were tourists, but who visits Dealey Plaza after dark? Besides protesters and a few passing-by locals? No matter...
Do you know what does matter? We were there.
On a seemingly random Monday night, we were there.
For the people who drove by, we were there.
For the people who were wondering “does it even matter now?”, we were there.
For the people thinking that there is nothing you can do, we were there.
For the people tempted to accept the insanity of Trump as “just how it is now,” we were there.
For the people thinking that this fight is over, we were there.
I was not disappointed by the small number of attendees. I was inspired and invigorated. Every one of us was there because we care, and we care enough to be there on a chilly, windy Monday night. Every one of us was there because not being present was harder than staying home at this point. Every one of us was there because we believed it is vital that others see us there. Our presence tells others, in Texas, that they are not alone.
And we have not yet begun to fight.
For many of us, election night of 2016 was not the end, it was just the beginning. We will be on the right side of history. What was 20 tonight will be 2 million next year.
But first, you have to show up.
And tonight, my son and I did just that.
(Please recommend, tip and share. We are here and we need others to know we are here!)