Tens of thousands of people across all 50 states took to the streets on July 17 in a nationwide protest called “Good Trouble Lives On,” held to honor the late civil rights icon, John Lewis.
The day of action, which marked the fifth anniversary of Lewis’s death, was not only a tribute to his legacy but also a direct response to what organizers described as dangerous rollbacks of civil rights under President Donald Trump’s second term.
Over 1,600 events were held nationwide, including rallies, marches, candlelight vigils, voter registration drives, and community food programs.
Major demonstrations took place in cities like Chicago, Atlanta, Oakland, St. Louis, and Annapolis, with smaller towns and suburbs also participating. Chicago hosted the flagship event, where protestors gathered for a candlelight vigil and live music as they recalled Lewis’s message of making what he famously called “good trouble, necessary trouble” in the fight for justice.
But beyond honoring Lewis, the protestors aimed their anger at the Trump administration’s policies, including cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, recent mass deportation raids, and actions seen as suppressing voting rights and free speech.
Organizers accused the administration of deliberately targeting Black Americans, immigrants, and transgender people through harsh policy changes.
In Atlanta, where Lewis once represented Georgia’s fifth district in Congress, protestors gathered at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the same church where Martin Luther King Jr. once preached.
There, Rev. Dr. Jonathan Jay Augustine told the crowd that Lewis gave his life fighting for inclusion and warned that the rights Lewis fought for are now under attack.
About 1,000 demonstrators marched from Big Bethel AME Church, past the mural of Lewis, toward Ebenezer Baptist Church, where civil rights leaders and clergy spoke of the urgent need to protect democracy.
Rev. Raphael Warnock, Georgia’s Democratic Senator and senior pastor at Ebenezer, was among those leading calls for action.
At the rally, Gerald Griggs, president of the Georgia NAACP, reminded the crowd of Trump’s past attacks on Lewis and the district he represented.
Griggs criticized the administration’s push to dismantle the Department of Education and increase deportations, saying, “In Georgia, no one is above the law. You still have a court date in the fifth district.”
In Washington, D.C., hundreds gathered just blocks from the White House. Some held signs comparing the Trump administration’s tactics to fascism.
One demonstrator, Mary Baird, who traveled from North Carolina to participate, told reporters, “Fascism will fall and when it falls, if you were complicit, you will be held accountable.”
Similar scenes unfolded across the country. In Minneapolis, speakers encouraged crowds to follow Lewis’s example and take a stand even if it meant facing consequences. Nekima Levy Armstrong, a lawyer and social justice advocate, told the crowd to “stand up and get in the way.”
Organizers said the protests aimed to demonstrate that resistance against Trump’s policies is widespread and sustained. Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, called the current moment “terrifying,” citing rising authoritarianism and the erosion of democratic freedoms.
Civil rights advocates said the Trump administration’s actions, including expanded ICE raids and cuts to social programs, threatened the foundations of equality and justice.
Daryl Jones, co-leader of the Transformative Justice Coalition, said the protests were about following Lewis’s teachings. “If you see something that’s wrong, you have an obligation to speak up, to say something, to do something. That’s what July 17 is about.”
Although smaller than June’s massive “No Kings” protests, which drew millions, organizers said Thursday’s actions represented a more targeted push to reignite Lewis’s legacy and transform it into sustained civic engagement.
They stressed the importance of voter registration and community action as the next steps in confronting Trump’s agenda.
From small towns to major cities, the message was clear: John Lewis’s fight is not over, and for those who gathered in his name, the path forward is through peaceful resistance. As one protester in Chicago said, “We’re not going to stand for this when the next election comes.”
By: Joshua Narh