Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – June 14,2025 – The Coalition for Change of Northeast Arkansas took to the sidewalks Saturday as part of ‘No Kings’ national protests.
According to nokings.org, No Kings is described as a “nationwide day of defiance.”
“From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we’re taking action to reject authoritarianism— and show the world what democracy really looks like,” the home page reads.
No Kings coincides with Flag Day and President Donald Trump’s birthday, an intentional move to “highlight democracy.”
The nationwide event was organized by Indivisible, a grassroots social movement organization made up of millions of activists across the country. Indivisible describes itself as a “movement of thousands of group leaders and more than a million members taking regular, iterative, and increasingly complex actions to resist the GOPs agenda, elect local champions, and fight for progressive policies.”
Jamie Lawson, an Arkansan member of Indivisible, said that it’s important for community members to stand up for what is right and make a change. “We’re all doing our part, that’s all we can do,” Lawson said. “Answer the call. Answer the call, and live the courage of your conviction.”
The Jonesboro event was organized by Coalition for Change of Northeast Arkansas (CCNEA), which is an affiliation of Indivisible.
“Coalition for Change is a grassroots movement dedicated to empowering communities through civic action, advocacy and the pursuit of social justice,” Mike Thiel, a member of CCNEA, said.
“Our main thing this evening is we need to get back to democracy,” Thiel said. “Everybody’s lives are being stepped on, whether they voted for the current government or not.”
“Democracy is dissent and discussion and being able to hold two positions of ideology at the same time without dismissing either one,” Thiel continued. “This is one way of getting the issues out in public and say, ‘Hey, we don’t believe we should have our rights trampled on, what are we going to do about it?’”
Event organizers emphasized the importance of it being a peaceful protest, with protesters lining the intersection of Red Wolf Blvd. and East Highland Drive. Many protesters made signs, while others held flags to commemorate Flag Day.
Erika Askeland said she was inspired to attend the event to show her young son that social change can happen and that it’s important to do your part in the community to make a difference.
“We continue to see division happening across not just Craighead County, not just Jonesboro, not just Arkansas or this country,” she said. “I’ve always been politically active, but today is a very important day, not only because it’s happening here, but across the state everywhere, showing that there is an alternative and that we need to stick with it to save our democracy.”
Askeland said there are many organizations to get involved with if you are a community member and want to help make change. “We have local chapters of the NAACP, we have the local Craighead County Democratic Party,” she added, “There’s lots of different avenues to get in contact with people who want a change from what we’re seeing right here.”
For more information on how to get involved and to learn about upcoming events, visit the Coalition for Change of Northeast Arkansas Facebook page or email them at cc_of_nea@yahoo.com.