Why ‘Good Trouble' protesters chose Thursday, July 17 to rally against Trump

USA Today

16-07-2025

Tens of thousands of protesters are expected to gather at more than 1,600 locations nationwide July 17 to rally against many of the Trump administration's policies.
The name for the Good Trouble Lives On protests comes from a phrase commonly used by the late-Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon, who insisted it was important to engage in "good trouble, necessary trouble" in order to achieve positive social change.
Lewis, who was often called the 'moral compass'' of the House, was one of the most vocal critics of President Donald Trump's first administration. The protests are scheduled for the fifth anniversary of Lewis' death.
Organizers called on the public to protest the Trump administration's stance on women's rights, cuts to safety net programs, treatment of immigrants and use of the National Guard to quell largely peaceful protests in California.
More: 'Good Trouble' protest locations: See where demonstrations are planned
Celina Stewart, chief executive officer of League of Women Voters, one of the organizing groups, said Trump rules by fear, silencing opposition and dissent. Americans should instead band together and embody Lewis' ideals of social justice and activism, she said.
'What would he encourage us to do in this moment?" Stewart asked. "That is going to look different for all of us, but I know that all of us can do something, and many of us can do many things.'
The White House said Trump is delivering on what he said he would do.
'Nearly 80 million Americans gave President Trump a historic mandate to Make America Great Again and he is delivering on that promise in record time,' said White House spokesperson Liz Huston.
'Be of service to your community'
Many of the advocacy groups planning the upcoming protest were also involved in the nationwide "No Kings" demonstrations on June 14, which drew millions of participants across 2,100 locations, according to the group's estimates. Overall, there have been monthly nationwide protests against the administration's policies since April.
The flagship event this time will be in Chicago, with additional large peaceful protests planned for Atlanta, St. Louis, MO, Annapolis, MD and Washington D.C. Hundreds of smaller events are expected in cities and towns across the country. Some international protests are scheduled.
Along with protests and marches, some groups will hold "moral assemblies" at statehouses and federal buildings, food drives, teach-ins, voter registration drives and other community-building events, said Allison Pulliam, co-director of one of the organizing groups, Declaration for American Democracy Coalition.
"People are showing up in their communities in the ways that they feel led to show up, and that's just exactly what Congressman Lewis meant when he talked about good trouble: finding ways to be of service to your community,' she said.
Why on a Thursday?
Rather than holding the nationwide protests on a Saturday, as advocacy groups have largely done this year, organizers decided to hold the events on the fifth anniversary of Lewis' death, even though it falls on a Thursday.
Daryl Jones, the co-leader of the Transformative Justice Coalition, said organizers got Lewis' family's permission to use his name with the protests. They asked that it not be a somber occasion, but one that would take up his cause.
Many of the protests are scheduled to take place after the workday ends to increase participation. Some are also scheduled for early in the morning.
Organizers said they aren't worried that a Thursday protest will mean lower turnout.
'This is the largest one day voting rights (and) civil rights movement action in all 50 states and internationally in U.S. history, and the largest weekday action this year,' promised Barbara Arnwine, another co-leader of the Transformative Justice Coalition. 'People are happy to gather in a celebratory protest.'
Big and small events
This day of action follows the model advocacy groups have used since the spring, holding events in as many locations as possible, rather than in one or two major cities.
The approach can be harder for the public to ignore and allows people to connect with local resources and perform local advocacy, organizers have said, rather than attend a single large event and not know what to do next.
Palm Beach County, Florida, where Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate is located, will be the site of five events, for example, including a march, a car parade and speakers talking about Lewis' legacy.
In Yonkers, New York, the local NAACP and Indivisible chapters teamed up to host an event in Van Der Donck Park, which is near the train station and library. They expect at least 200 people to attend.
"The idea is to make a little noise," said Eileen O'Connor who co-founded the NYCD 16/15 Indivisible group.
Holding the event during the week and after work is an effort to make the event easier for families to attend, said Kisha Skipper, president of NAACP-Yonkers Branch #2188, as well as an effort to engage younger people. Lewis became an advocate while in college, organizing lunch counter sit-ins in Nashville.
Along with bubbles, sidewalk chalk and sign-making stations, the event will also include voter education and registration information, Skipper said.
In Annapolis, Maryland, seven local organizations worked together to put together a march over two local bridges.
'We are marching over the bridges to symbolize John Lewis's march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge," said Lynda Davis, one of the organizers with Showing Up for Racial Justice Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. "We're still marching for civil and human rights like he did, and we will continue to march until we get civil and human rights.'