On Saturday, March 28, community members gathered on South Presbyterian Church’s front lawn and joined the resistance.
While the demonstration shared nationwide sentiments against the war in Iran and outrage over the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement, it was also a faith-inspired call to action, underscoring authoritarianism as a spiritual crisis that denies mercy, love and human dignity.
“We are the people, and we support love, kindness, empathy, compassion, inclusion,” said Kay McCoy, a leader at South Church, and organizer of the protest, at the rally. She spoke in front of the historic church which has been a voice in the civil rights movement, the gay rights movement, caring for the homeless poor and feeding those in need.
“Let us love not just in words or speech but in truth and action. -1 John 3:18,” read Tess Eliopoulos’ sign, quoting the apostle John. She was there with her family. “$ for people, not bombs and ballrooms,” read her mother Roubi’s sign.
“Cast down the mighty, lift up the lowly, fill the hungry, send the rich away – Mary,” read Tamsin Willard’s sign, featuring a quote from the mother of Jesus, recorded in the gospel of Luke.
The protest at South Church came together quickly and was included as an official No Kings site just days before the rally. It became an opportunity to express the church’s commitment to justice.
“At South Church, we are here to promote our values—our conviction that a better way is possible,” wrote church members Willard, McCoy and Katy Gravenor, in a statement read at the rally. “We support taking care of our earth, and taking care of each other, freedom to gather peacefully, freedom to vote. We support the right to bodily autonomy, the right to marry who we love, the right to present as our truest selves whatever that looks like.”
“Hate won’t make the US great,” read Gwendolyn Bradley Willemann’s sign.
“Let love rule!” read Anne Day’s sign.