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2025 Hands Off Protests at the Austin Capitol Building - Creative Commons CC-Zero This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
2025 Hands Off Protests at the Austin Capitol Building - Creative Commons CC-Zero This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

Use your voice. Speak your concern.

5 April 2025

If there’s one thing yesterday’s #HandsOff demonstrations proved, it’s that unrest and dissatisfaction are alive in America. The protests—sparked by rising political overreach and threats to personal freedoms—revealed that many are unwilling to remain silent. It remains to be seen where these voices will go from here. Will they:

  • continue to speak out?
  • be silenced by fear or threats?
  • grow louder and more insistent?
  • spread across the world?

I can’t predict the future. But I do have hopes—for the voices raised, for those still to come, and for the values they carry forward. Let me share why.

Like nearly everyone, I feel uncertain, worried, and deeply concerned about the world we share—the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land that nurtures us, our families, and our future. Every day, I watch as greedy, selfish, and power-hungry individuals degrade the lives of others for their own gain. Their actions are inexcusable.

But what can one person do?

I know I am small—a nearly invisible part of the cosmos, of our planet, our humanity, our community.

Still, I have a voice. I can think. I can write. I can share.
So can you.

We each have the power to speak to our:

Hands Off! National Day of Action in downtown Chico, California, on April 5, 2025 By Frank Schulenburg
Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
  • dreams
  • hopes
  • wishes
  • concerns

We can offer our thoughts to:

  • our neighbors
  • our friends
  • our fellow human beings

We can choose to cherish:

  • our planet
  • all life that calls this place home

Certainly, no one of us will complete the work—but we can journey together toward something better. We can strive for justice. We can fight for equity. We can resist apathy.

So get your soapbox out. Stand on it. Let people know you are here. Announce your calling with respect to all. Fear no one. Be honest. Be strong. Face your fears. Do what you can. Inspire yourself. Make yourself—and your children—proud of your integrity and your care.

Need ideas for how to speak out? Start here:

  • Talk to your children about justice, empathy, and truth
  • Join or support a local community group
  • Write letters to the editor
  • Write to your government representative(s)
  • Volunteer with advocacy organizations
  • Use your platform—however small—to share what matters

“Your silence will not protect you.”
— Audre Lorde

Use your voice. It matters.
We’re in this together.

Coming Event(s):

May Day 2025 National Day of Action

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Full disclosure:
I use various AI systems to assist in developing my content.
If you’re curious about how I use them, feel free to check out:
The Revolutionary Impact of AI on Genealogy and Historical Research.