On the fifth anniversary of the freedom fighter’s death, Franklin Park in Northwest, D.C. was one of more than 1,600 locations across the United States where protestors participated in “Good Trouble Lives On” demonstrations to voice their disapproval of President Donald Trump and his administration and further Lewis’ mission toward a truly just democracy.
At the park, community leaders and activists spoke out against Trump and the current administration’s policies, and artists performed for the crowd, firing up attendees before the group marched to the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) as a final act of protest.
“It can be daunting at times to try and stop a president like this, but a leader gets their power from the people, and we, the people, can take that away,” said Samantha Davis, founder of the Black Swan Academy, to demonstrators. “Noncooperation has been used by movements throughout history to demand justice and to win it. No one knew this better than John Lewis.”
The title of the nationwide initiative in honor of Lewis directly refers to the activist’s famous philosophy of always making noise and getting in “good trouble,” through nonviolent yet assertive protest against unjust conditions, policies and leadership.
In D.C, and across the nation, demonstrators criticized the Trump administration’s attacks on voting rights, federal funding, and immigration, alongside other areas of concern.
“Everything is stirred up and in the air, so this is a great time to demand they codify our civil rights, our voting rights, our reproductive rights, our education, our health care. These things need to really be legalized and locked in stone,” Terryn Nelson, a native Washingtonian who attended the march, told The Informer. “Once we topple this regime, then the work really begins to create the future that we’re going to have.”
Racial Disparities Persist as SAVE Act Threatens Voting Accessibility
Almost 60 years ago, Lewis, Rosa Parks and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were among the prominent civil rights leaders watching as President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act on August 6, 1965.
Now, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act Amendment of 2025 has been introduced to fight to uphold some of the protections that were allotted in the original legislation six decades ago.
That’s because many modern-day freedom fighters— from the people who take to the streets, to certain members of Congress— are concerned about current policies that they feel suppress voters.
On April 10, the House of Representatives passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which prohibits states from accepting a federal election voter registration application if the applicant fails to provide documentation that proves their U.S. citizenship. If it becomes law, the SAVE Act will make voter participation more difficult by ending automatic, online and mail-in voter registration programs made possible through the Voter Registration Act.
Because of these attacks on U.S. citizens’ right to their civic duty, D.C. resident Brandon Bush believes that using one’s constitutional right to participate in protests is a crucial step toward a more equitable government and country.
“We are here because we’ve had people, especially John Lewis, who fought for our right to vote in elections because he realized the power of the vote,” Bush told The Informer. “If we relinquish that by not showing up to things like this, not creating good trouble, then we just relinquish everything that we hold sacred.”
Minority communities have historically been disproportionately affected by voting laws and registration regulations, such as the literacy tests required in many southern states between the 1850s and 1960s that were used to deprive Black Americans of their right to vote. Despite the Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibiting racial discrimination in voting, research reveals minorities are still susceptible to being disproportionately affected by voting regulations.
A recent study published by the University of Maryland Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement shows that Black, Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander adult citizens are less likely to have a valid driver’s license compared to their white counterparts, which could complicate participation in elections under the SAVE Act if passed. Per the report, 18% of Black adult citizens, 15% of Hispanic adult citizens and 13% of Asian/Pacific Islander citizens don’t own a license compared to just 5% of white adult citizens.
District resident Dante O’Hara believes racial disparities should be at the forefront of these national demonstrations, attributing a lack of focus on such issues to needing more Black participants in these movements.
“Yes, we’re commemorating the death of John Lewis,… but we are not addressing the elephant in the room, which is that the centrality of the struggle is racism,” O’Hara told The Informer. “Black folks have been the heartbeat of this country’s democratic struggle, and if we’re not dealing with that question as a central question in our organizing, then we’re going to be in some deep [mess].”
Mass Movements Need Mass Solidarity
According to research by Harvard University political scientist Erica Chenoweth, if 3.5% of a population can mobilize toward a shared cause at a peak event during a nonviolent protest, there is a large possibility the movement will garner increased support and have greater chances of accomplishing its goals. This rule of thumb is often referred to as the 3.5% rule.
O’Hara believes in the need for solidarity across movements in order to build the participating audience in these protests and become more of a united front to fight against human rights violations. He said this organized unification could be more sustainable in the long run of the movement against the current administration, as the 3.5% rule shows that strength in numbers is effective.
“It’s all about the collective. I think students, immigrant workers, day laborers, educators [and] federal workers need to work in mass movements in order to build that defense,” O’Hara told The Informer. “This is for the long haul. There will be spontaneous stuff and mass protests like today, but what do we do tomorrow? What are we to do in the next hour?”
Bush possesses a similar mentality, recognizing the need for community and resources accessible to different demographics to successfully execute these mass demonstrations’ goals. He said through continuing the work of civil rights luminaries like Lewis, demonstrators can hold onto the hope that the change they want to see will eventually come into fruition.
“By following in John Lewis’ footsteps and following his legacy, we need to continue to pursue that,” Bush told The Informer. “We need to keep hope… for our ability to find those resources, continue to talk to people, create community and just continue to push. Showing up to stuff like this— this is hope.”
