In solidarity with The People's March in Washington, D.C., over 100 local residents held a demonstration Saturday in Potsdam.
The event started with participants chanting, holding flags and signs as they marched around downtown Potsdam.
“Justice for all - No one is Above the Law,” “Keep Abortion Safe & Legal,” “Save our Planet,” “Tax the Rich,” “Protect Democracy,” and “Save SNAP Benefits” were among the messages on signs.
The signs showed a wide variety of concerns with the incoming administration, from standing up for democracy and justice, to equal rights, abortion rights, tax equity, and a clean planet.
A sign that may have best summarized the message from the speakers following the march was “We Only Lose If We Stop Fighting.”
The speeches talked of the anticipated impacts the new Presidential administration will have on different segments of our society.
“We’re fighting child poverty. The state has a mandate to reduce child poverty by half in ten years,” said Speaker Raamitha Pillay, local organizer for the Poor People’s Campaign.
The Poor People’s Campaign is pressuring the government to fund the Child Poverty Reduction Act by fairly taxing billionaires and rich corporations, she said.
Jonel Beauvais, of Akwesasne, spoke of the power of a good mind and good heart.
“If you are walking around with love and authenticity, you are a very dangerous human being,” Beauvais said.
North Country Neighbors for Civic Engagement, or NoCo Neighbors, is a new group being formed locally, explained speaker Natalia Singer.
The purposes are to “to protect our democracy and also reach out and be really good allies for the most vulnerable groups in the North Country,” said Singer.
NoCo Neighbors is planning to put out a newsletter once a week with bite-size political actions that can be taken to support these goals, she said.
Laurena Will, Pastor of the Ogdensburg Presbyterian Church, said, “Mindfulness, a plan to care for oneself and prepare for the unknown is needed before we can care for others.”
“As Martin Luther King, Jr. taught us, we have to have conversations and work for education and relationships. Together we do the hard work of righting this ship,” she said.O