Protests Are a Form of Expression (And So Much More)

A friend recently told me she thinks participating in public protests is a waste of time. I couldn’t disagree more. Here’s why.

Protesting lets you express yourself. Maybe you write, paint, compose music, dance, play guitar, do stand-up comedy, or make TikTok videos. Protesting is a physical way to state: “I will not be silent in the face of atrocities.” Like all creative expression, it has the power to tell others who you are and let them know they are not alone.

Protests encourage community. The energy at a protest is contagious. If you go alone, you leave with new friends (and, likely, plans for future organizing). If you go with friends, you engage in a shared experience that unites you for a cause. If you bring your kids, they gain an understanding that political issues are much larger than just the things their parents say around the dinner table. (Both of my kids complained when I told them I was bringing them along to protests this month. Afterward, they were enthusiastic, and ready to plan their signs for the next protest.)

Have you ever sung in a large group of people? It doesn’t matter if it’s a rock concert where the audience sings along, or a professional symphony chorus belting out Handel’s Messiah. Joining thousands of voices together is unlike anything else. You can feel it. It’s powerful.

Protests make people pay attention. When you march, drivers take notice as traffic gets rerouted around you. When you stand with signs on a street corner and shout, your neighbors see and hear you as they’re running errands. When videos of protests get shared on social media and covered on the news, you’re showing solidarity to people who want to protest but cannot.

Leaders pay attention, too. It might seem as if many in Washington, DC, pay no attention to protestors, but that’s not true. They do notice, and it gets under their skin. If they didn’t care, they wouldn’t spread lies about protestors being paid to show up, and they wouldn’t be introducing bills to criminalize protest. They know we outnumber them. They’ve heard of the French Revolution. Incidentally, I’ve been to quite a few protests in my 40+ years, but not until this month have I seen guillotines featuring prominently on people’s signs.

Unlike many American media companies, foreign media covers American protests. People around the globe saw the April 5 protests on TV, in their newspapers, and on social media. Billions of eyes are on America right now.

Protesting is a way to do something. In turbulent times like the ones we’re living through, we have two choices: do something, or do nothing. Doing nothing encourages doom-scrolling, despair, insomnia, and high blood pressure. Doing something boosts our spirits, satisfies our urge to act, makes us ask how else we can get involved, and gives us a “next right thing” to do, which can pull us out of a funk.

Protesting is a right that we cannot take for granted. Authoritarian governments squash dissent because it’s an effective tool for people to mobilize and send a message. If it weren’t so important, the Founders wouldn’t have written it into our Bill of Rights, into the First Amendment to our Constitution. We must cherish and exercise that right, or we risk losing it.

If you’re ready to speak up, you can join a May Day protest later this week.