When President Donald Trump took office in January 2017 for his first term, large Women’s March protest demonstrations were held across the United States.
For his second term in 2025, 50501 Movement demonstrations have sprung up in 50 states, 50 protests, one day.
The first was held Feb. 5, and the group has since announced a partnership with Political Revolution, which sprung originally from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders‘ bid for president in 2016.
Two Staunton women, whom we shall call Mary and Sarah, are organizing a 50501 peaceful protest to be held from noon to 1 p.m. at the Augusta County Courthouse on Monday, Feb. 17.
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“I hope the SAW area will convene at the Augusta County Courthouse with us,” Mary said.
Participants are encouraged to bring posters and peacefully fight to uphold citizens’ rights, the U.S. Constitution and limit executive overreach.
Mary said Monday’s protest in Staunton is not expected to be limited to participants who voted blue in November.
“We would not be surprised at all to see folks who feel betrayed by what’s transpired,” she said.
She added that not many Americans are thrilled to see a non-elected official, X owner Elon Musk, gaining access to classified and sensitive information.
Sarah said that the local protest on Feb. 5 encouraged individuals who were driving by the courthouse to stop and join the protest.
Mary said that U.S. Rep. Ben Cline has expressed “dismay and frustration” from his constituents complaining about what is going on. “This is a moment where, based on what I know about fascism,” the elected officials in control are pushing boundaries to see how far they can go. She said the message is: “We will not put up with this.”
Contact Ben Cline
- Phone: (202) 225-5431
- Web: bit.ly/BenClineContactForm
- D.C. office: 2443 Rayburn House Office Building (directions)
Monday’s protest is the equivalent of protests in 1933 in Germany when officials were testing what they could get away with.
“You have reached the limit,” Mary said is the message from protestors.
Sarah said that some individuals are not all right with standing by and watching the rights of others be stripped away, and the same individuals are willing to stand together in solidarity.
“We are not going to obey in advance,” Sarah said.
Although Staunton, Augusta County and Waynesboro is not as populous an area as Richmond or Washington, D.C., the two women think it is just as important for individuals to stand together for a cause. Participants at Monday’s protest will come with different priorities of what is important to fight against.
For Mary, not having freedom of the press “is particularly alarming,” a reference to Trump removing an Associated Press reporter from a press conference who refused to call the Gulf of Mexico by the new name of the Gulf of America.
Sarah said that everyone is welcome to come Monday with the issues they care about, “uphold the Constitution and fight back against fascism.” Sarah is most concerned about protecting transgendered persons, DEI and preventing the deportation of undocumented individuals.
Mary and Sarah cite the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act as concerning, legislation that will require voters to have the same name as on their birth certificate to prove citizenship despite the fact that many women change their names when they get married. U.S. Rep. Chip Roy of Texas introduced the legislation on January 3, which voting rights experts worry will create unnecessary barriers to voting.
The focus is on notions of who deserves a good life, according to Mary, and who is allowed to make the major decisions, as well as who will be left out of the decision-making process. For example, Musk’s seizure of personal information and Trump freezing federal funding to USAID.
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“The cruelty is just really jaw dropping,” Mary said.
American rights are being stripped away by “someone we did not elect,” Sarah said.
Both women attended the local protest of the first National Day of Protest on February 5 which not many individuals attended.
“But it still felt really connecting to be with other people who feel the same way I do,” Sarah said.
The protests create a safe space for anyone who would like to participate while also giving them visibility without taking risks of exposure. Mary said that historian Heather Richardson says fascism only works if individuals are miserable. When protestors get together on Monday, they will produce joy just by the act of being together in solidarity.
In a statement to Newsweek, Political Revolution said: “Our requests include the resignation or removal of Donald J. Trump from the presidency, thorough investigations into his appointees, scrutiny of Elon Musk‘s governmental role, the repeal of oppressive executive orders, and the enforcement of robust laws against hate speech. We also advocate for the reinstatement of diversity, equity, and inclusion frameworks to ensure that all citizens are treated with dignity and respect.”
The Augusta County Courthouse is at 1 E. Johnson Street in downtown Staunton.
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Rebecca Barnabi
