For far too many reasons to list here, I am not proud of my country right now. As such, I was a bit ambivalent about celebrating July 4th this year, particularly after Congress passed a bill that will seriously harm thousands of Alaskans. But I wanted to be part of my community, so I signed up to march in the parade as part of a large group of women activists called the Resisters. The Resisters formed after Trump won in 2016 and is larger and fully energized now.
The Resisters were joined by the League of Women Voters, Indivisible Juneau and 350 Juneau. In coming together, it was understood that the messages would be nonpartisan, steer away from negativity and be about protecting democracy and the rule of law. Essentially, July 4th presented a time to claim the flag as much as MAGA world does. The flag need not represent January 6th and a wanna-be-king. So, I was thrilled to be asked to be one of two carrying a large 10- by 12-foot flag.
The organizers had a great, fun way to deliver the pro-democracy and freedom message. First came a “We the People” banner, next came a 9-foot street puppet of the Statue of Liberty and then me and my husband with the flag. A truck with speakers followed with 20 women wearing Statute of Liberty headdresses dancing in unison to a set of powerful songs. They rocked it and the crowd of onlookers loved it. That was the fun part. Then came dozens of people with serious rally signs. Bringing up the rear, was the League of Women Voters with “Respect the Rule of Law” signs. All together we had over 150 people marching under the “We the People” banner.
While the parade was a success in creating an organized effort to locally reclaim our flag, a highlight for me came when I heard three documented immigrants call out my name and enthusiastically wave to me. For the past three years, I have been part of a group of Juneau residents sponsoring and supporting legal immigrants. With the Trump administration’s indiscriminate, aggressive approach to sweeping up immigrants, we’ve already had three contributing families leave Juneau. Much to the dismay of their neighbors and their employers they left out of understandable fear. Now, here cheering the flag were other immigrants with an uncertain future. What were they cheering about?
After the parade, I settled down to read the news and in an eloquent commentary by an Afghan refugee, I found the answer to my question. My immigrant friends were cheering for the promise that the flag represented. The Afghan refugee, Fatima Saidi, residing in Maine wrote in an opinion piece recently published in the Alaska Beacon:
“For many of us, America was not our first choice. However, it is our last hope. And still, we love this country not because it’s easy, but because we’ve invested our futures in its promises and potential. Refugees know that we are not just part of America—we help make it whole.
“As we step into a new chapter of American history, the flag belongs to us all. The flag, and the country for which it stands, belongs to those who believe in something better, kinder, and in the promise of liberty and justice for all. It belongs to everyone who dares to hope, who fights for compassion, and who still—despite everything—believes in its promise. This flag is our flag.”
This flag is the flag of “We the People” defending a Constitution of Promise. Now this is worth celebrating.
Kate Troll is a former member of the Ketchikan and Juneau Borough assemblies. She has more than 22 years of experience in fisheries, coastal management and climate and energy policy. She is the former executive director of United Fishermen of Alaska and Alaska Conservation Voters. She’s written two books and resides in Douglas.
