AT HOME: Signs of Freedom
Feelings about unfair rule run deep.
By Loraine Page
COLUMNIST
When people began lining both sides of my street in Fredericksburg last weekend, I went out to investigate.
That’s when I saw the signs. Not signs from heaven, real signs that people were holding up earnestly and cars were beeping in support of as they passed by.
I burst into tears. I hadn't known so many people cared about the cruelty being dealt to us by the current administration.
Before this rally was over, the count would reach 800, while the rest of the country and around the world the number of protestors would surge into the millions.
I mistakenly thought I was alone in my sadness, my anger — emotions that went back and forth, interrupted only momentarily by laughter at a particularly funny political meme or a comedian’s hilarious take-down of some stupidity spewing out from the White House.
Speaking with people, I found out this was a movement called Hands Off. I asked if anyone had an extra sign, but no one did. I went home and searched my apartment for a Magic Marker and something to write on.
I found a marker and turned over a large Styrofoam board that had one of my photos glued to the front. The back was blank, and I held my marker over it, ready to write my own message — only, I couldn't think of one.
I needed to go back into the crowd to see what others had come up with.
As I joined the protest and looked at the signs people were holding up, I was amazed at how well these people captured the astonishing amount of unfairness that had been dished out to us since Inauguration Day.
Their signs declared HANDS OFF our Social Security, our national parks, our medical research funding, our federal employees, our education, our data, our lawyers, our libraries and museums, our neighbor Canada, our health care, our rights, our future.
Some warned of the reality: “Resist Like It’s 1938 Germany!,” read one; another said “To Ignore Evil Is to Become Its Accomplice.”
A number of them took DOGE to task. One sign defined this so-called agency like this: “DOGE: Dangerous Oligarchs Grifting Everyone.”
Another sign used humor to sum up the untenable number of wrongs being committed daily: “So Much Wrong, So Little Cardboard.”
I found some grass and knelt down to write my own sign. I did it quickly, too much thinking and I would miss the protest. I wrote: “Stop fascism.”
Two words, shakily written. I was still emotional for some reason. My sign was not a standout. It only reflected what was in my heart.
My heart aches over what we’re letting happen to innocent immigrants. ICE reminds me of Nazi Germany. The president’s speeches remind me of it too.
I read On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder when it came out in 2017. It describes how other countries throughout history succumbed to authoritarian rule. It’s a tiny book, it can be read in less than an hour. The similarities to what is happening here, now, are chilling.
Snyder, who specializes in the history of Central and Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and the Holocaust, has a new book out now. It’s called On Freedom. I plan to read it.
Freedom is of special interest to me as I grew up in a tyrannical family. It consisted of a father who ruled with violence. His particular cruelty was learning who you were and what you wanted to do — so he could squelch it. For no particular reason. My mother’s role was acquiescence. She voiced complaints about his actions, but she didn’t do anything to actually stop it.
I escaped. I got my freedom.
But freedom doesn't mean carefree. Life will still have ups and downs. But what freedom does mean is free from restriction, free from oppression.
I wish both of these for us now.
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Next peaceful protests are being planned for May 1 or May 3 in our area. I hope you found some relevant groups around here to connect with while at the event or after. They are plentiful and active and inspiring. You are not alone, Loraine!
I have been here for 30 years and always felt alone. I loved the protest. It was more of a collaborative where people shared, cheered, and built each other's energy up. If we can build this positive movement, things will change. It is scientifically proven.