Many South Orange and Maplewood residents and community leaders will join what is expected to be the largest single-day mobilization nationwide since President Trump returned to office.
This year’s Flag Day (June 14) is a national day of peaceful action, mass mobilization and defiance in response to the what is seen as increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption of the Trump administration. SOMA Action, a local grass-roots group based in South Orange and Maplewood — affiliated with Indivisible — is calling the day of action “Reclaim Our Flag Day: No Kings!”
Protesters were busy making signs the night before the “No Kings” protest.
“We are reclaiming the flag on behalf of all that it represents to our diverse nation in celebration of Immigrants’ rights, Juneteenth, Pride, civil liberties and the rule of law,” a release from SOMA Action stated.
“We’re centering our event on ordinary people in our community who are outraged by what the Trump administration is doing to our democracy,” said Erika Malinoski, co-president of SOMA Action. “We’re inviting participants to make their own flags and signs that represent the American values that our country was founded upon: fairness, empathy, rule of law, liberty. Most of all, we’re asking them to peacefully resist the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration and the Republican Party that is enabling him.”
SOMA Action is kicking off this family-friendly event at noon at Flood’s Hill/Meadowland Park in South Orange (located at Mead Street and Meadowbrook Lane) with music, flag-making and other patriotic art projects. Then they will march through downtown South Orange with flags and signs to Spiotta Park. The event will be from noon to 2 p.m.
According to SOMA Action, the “No Kings” mobilization is “a direct response to President Trump’s self-aggrandizing birthday event, costing tens of millions of taxpayer dollars, while millions of Americans are told there’s no money for Social Security, SNAP, Medicaid, or public schools.”
Marches are planned in all 50 states with the same message: The president is not a king.
According to SOMA Action, all “No Kings” events adhere to a shared commitment to nonviolent protest and community safety. Organizers are trained in de-escalation and are working closely with local partners to ensure peaceful and powerful actions nationwide. For a full list of events, visit the “No Kings” protest website.
