By Karen Melton, Member, Southeastern Pennsylvania Group; Sylvanian volunteer
No Kings Day on October 18th was just a beginning to reclaim our democracy, but oh what a beginning! As the months go by there are an ever-increasing number of events and participants, this one estimated at more than 2,600 events and more than 7 million citizens, all making the point that no one in America is above the law, most certainly not the President.
There were No Kings events throughout Pennsylvania, from Erie to Havertown, Gettysburg to Williamsport, Wilkes Barre to Altoona, really just about any town you name. In York a Bald Eagle flew overhead for several minutes as the spellbound crowd took it as a sign of hope. Turnout was reported in the thousands in Pittsburgh, Greensburg and State College.
There were many comparisons to the American revolution via signs and costumes. In Philadelphia 15,000 marched from City Hall to Independence Mall, home of the first Continental Congress. While thousands gathered on the steps of the Capitol in Harrisburg, Governor Shapiro issued a statement that began: “Almost 250 years ago, patriots in Philadelphia declared independence from a King. Today, thousands of people in Pennsylvania and across the country, from all walks of life, peacefully took up that fight for the fundamental freedoms this nation was built on.”
A student in West Chester held a sign with a Mark Twain quote that summed it all up: “Patriotism is loving your country all the time and your government when they deserve it.”
So where do we go from here? Many of today’s thought leaders in defense of democracy such as historian Heather Cox Richardson, Ezra Levin from Indivisible, Senator Bernie Sanders, and 350.org and Third Act founder Bill McKibben offer a similar caution – while No Kings and similar events energize us and assure us we are not alone in wanting to save democracy from a would-be dictator, a great deal of hard work lays ahead.
Pete Buttigieg wrote this recently: “America has never been a perfect democracy. But democracy is the most important thing about our country—and our country is the most important democracy in the world.” Or at least it used to be. If we are to return to a government that respects the constitution and the rule of law, it will take so much more than the next election. Our democracy clearly requires a great deal of shoring up. We have learned the hard way that many of the behaviors and processes that we expect from government are norms with few guardrails for enforcement or consequences when ignored. And every single issue we want to fix -- whether it be voting rights, campaign finance, an independent Justice Department, doing what congress says, the list is long -- may require years of organizing and advocacy. Saving democracy, a prerequisite for saving the environment, will require our devotion for years to come. Enjoy the fun events like No Kings days, but be ready for the hard work.
This blog was included as part of the November 2025 Sylvanian newsletter. Please click here to check out more articles from this edition!