Hope is a choice
No Kings 2 in Manhattan, KS
A guy on the Internet told me that today’s rally would be full of violent, anti-American thugs dressed all in black. As I look around I think I might be the only one dressed in all black — and I see an awful lot of American flags. I do wonder what America’s Founding Fathers would have to say about the t-rex, unicorns, and frogs, though.
I’m glad we’re having fun today. But a very serious purpose brought us here. Across our country, Americans are gathering peacefully to defend the Constitution — to say once again that our government belongs to the people. Not to one man, one party, or one faith.
“Government of the people, by the people, for the people.” We’ve too often taken that promise for granted. But we can’t afford to do that any more. Our generation is learning — as generations before us learned — that democracy will only survive if the people defend it.
We first said “no” to a king almost two hundred and fifty years ago. Since then, the story of America has been that of a people trying again and again to form a more perfect union. We haven’t always gotten it right. But in every generation people of courage and conscience have stood up for freedom.
Our own state of Kansas was settled by people who left behind homes and communities to stop the spread of slavery into the west. From Bleeding Kansas, through the Civil War and the Great Depression, to the struggle for Civil Rights — again and again, moments came when it wasn’t at all clear that democracy would win out.
And now we find ourselves in another such moment. Troops patrol the streets of our cities. Masked officers seize people because of the color of their skin. Leaders ignore the laws they once swore to uphold. And those in power use every crisis to stoke fear and consolidate control.
The voices that frustrate me the most are those that preach power and cruelty while claiming to speak for God. Some say that God blesses the strong and scorns the weak. But the God I know calls us to compassion, justice, and courage — to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly. And to stand on the side of truth.
Every one of our elected officials took an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. We should hold them to that oath. But we should hold ourselves to it, too. Because the defense of freedom has never been someone else’s job. It has always been ours.
We can all feel the weight of this time. It’s scary. And exhausting. But we can’t afford to look away. We can’t afford to turn off the news and hope someone else will fix all the things that are going wrong.
To be silent now is to make peace with cruelty. To be silent now is to break faith with the generations before us who defended freedom with their voices and, at times, with their lives.
The good news is that we’re not alone. Millions of people are standing together today — in city centers, on the steps of state capitols, and here in this Kansas park.
And together we can make a difference. Because hope is a choice. And each of us can do something. So pick the issue that stirs your heart. And act. Make calls. Write letters. Learn all you can. Organize. Talk to your neighbors. And then do it again tomorrow.
Together we can build a country better than what came before. A nation where the Constitution truly means what it says. Where the law applies equally. Where diversity is embraced as a strength – not weaponized as a fear. Where we the people — not just the powerful and well-connected, but all of us — have a real say. Together, we can remain faithful to the best of our past. And bold enough to demand the future we and our children deserve. Together, we can choose hope.
Thank you for being here today. Thank you for your courage, for your decency, for refusing to turn away. Thank you for your hope. May this day serve as a new beginning. And may the spirit of truth and love — the spirit that has guided the best of America through every trial — go with us and give us strength for the days ahead.