Danielle Bailey wants her 8-year-old and 12-year-old children to know they have a voice.
That鈥檚 why the Fort Worth resident brought them Saturday to Burk Burnett Park in downtown Fort Worth, joining hundreds in protest of 鈥渁uthoritarian policies undermining democratic institutions.鈥�
It鈥檚 not her kids鈥� first time attending a protest, she said. The family joined more than a hundred demonstrators at La Gran Plaza in February to . As Latino kids, 鈥渢hey are scared about what their futures are going to look like,鈥� Bailey, 38, said.
鈥淚 want my kids to see that it matters and that, even if they鈥檙e young, they have a voice. And that it鈥檚 our responsibility as citizens to say something when you see something that is unjust or corrupt, because it鈥檚 your right,鈥� Bailey said. 鈥淯se that.鈥�
The demonstration was part of the , a grassroots group that has organized mass protests across the country against President Donald Trump鈥檚 administration and policies. The group, which is named for 50 protests happening in 50 states in one day, widely refers to its demonstrations as 鈥淗ands Off!鈥� protests.
The Fort Worth protest was one of , including one in Arlington, one in Dallas and another in McKinney.
Fort Worth organizers said their demonstration was in response to the Trump administration鈥檚 dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education and threats to public school funding as well as a desire to protect civil rights and services.
The Rev. Kyle Powell, a minister at University Christian Church in Fort Worth, said the protest he helped organize was also about helping people find community and identify 鈥渞eal and tangible鈥� ways to make a difference locally.
鈥淭here are people in our communities that are being either marginalized or outright attacked right now,鈥� Powell, 34, said. 鈥淲e want to show folks here in Tarrant County, specifically here in Fort Worth, that there are other people here who care about their fellow Texans, about their fellow Americans, and about their fellow people.鈥�
Sabrina Ball, a founding member of the Fort Worth chapter of, a national , said it was important that the demonstration offered resources and gave steps for individuals to take beyond the actual demonstration. Ball, a mother of two teenagers, has been involved in protests across Tarrant County.
鈥淚鈥檝e noticed that we鈥檙e getting into this habit of just protesting, and it鈥檚 easy for the administration, people in charge, to just turn it off and turn a blind eye,鈥� Ball, 47, said. 鈥淚 get the question all the time, 鈥榃hat do I do next?鈥欌��
In addition to helping people register to vote in the , organizers encouraged attendees to get involved with a civic organization that resonates with them and the issues they care about. They also encouraged participants to speak at public meetings, such as school board and City Council meetings, to put pressure on elected officials and continue advocating for local change.
Powell said it was particularly important to him as a white man to take a stand against what he sees as an uptick in Christian nationalism. He noted that, historically, mass protests about civil rights issues have been organized by Black women and communities of color.
鈥淲hat we haven鈥檛 seen as much or as often are white ministers, white pastors, white Christians standing up in real and meaningful ways,鈥� Powell said.
It was intentional that Saturday鈥檚 group was made up predominantly of white people, he said, adding that many people of color didn鈥檛 feel safe coming to a protest in Fort Worth, the nation鈥檚 largest city with Republican leadership.
Instead, many racial minorities participated in an 鈥渙nline protest,鈥� posting on Instagram or TikTok with the hashtags #actsofresistance or #actsofleisure. The effort was intended to spotlight how their leisure activities and moments of joy are an act of resistance to white Christian nationalism and fascism, Powell said.
Protest attracted about 800, organizers say
The group of in-person demonstrators gathered in the park around noon, kicking the day off with speeches from representatives of various activist groups, such as the and a youth-based group focused on protesting federal deportation orders across North Texas.
In between speeches, organizers gave attendees different action items to complete in that moment but also take home with them so they could feel empowered to continue. At one point, Powell instructed those gathered to call their state representatives and voice concerns about state and federal policies.
Demonstrators also marched through the streets of downtown at about 1 p.m. and again at about 3 p.m. Around noon, an on-site Fort Worth Police officer estimated that about 500 people were gathered in the crowd. That number grew as the group began to march through the streets, with organizers estimating more than 800 present.
Asher Chism, an organizer with the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter for 50501, said they were surprised with the turnout, as Fort Worth has historically struggled to organize large-scale protests. After many cities across the U.S. held marches two weeks ago, on April 5, the Saturday protest in Fort Worth was meant to show solidarity to residents who traveled to Dallas to participate earlier, Chism said.
鈥淚鈥檓 hoping that everybody here can become active in their own lives,鈥� Chism said. 鈥淔ind something that they can do to help forward the movement, but also get other people they know involved.鈥�
Auriyen Berongis traveled to Fort Worth from Dallas to advocate for diversity and inclusivity, particularly among youth. Berongis, 21, is a founding member of El Movimiento.
Sometimes parents discourage their children from getting involved in activism before they are old enough to vote because 鈥渢hey don鈥檛 want to introduce their kids to politics too early,鈥� Berongis said.
鈥淗owever, it鈥檚 not just about politics, it鈥檚 about their future,鈥� she said.
Speaking to the crowd during Saturday鈥檚 protest, she criticized a bill recently in the Texas House that would create a $1 billion private school voucher-like program, arguing that the bill would leave public schools lacking funds for resources such as special education services or free lunch programs.
She encouraged both parents and their kids to get involved in school walkouts or speak at school board meetings about issues that are important to them.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e a parent who cares about your child鈥檚 future, fight for it together with them,鈥� Berongis told the crowd. 鈥淎llow your kids to challenge issues that affect them and provide support or guidance when they need it.鈥�
Ball said she hopes people left Saturday鈥檚 protest feeling empowered. But she also hopes the demonstration puts more of a spotlight on Fort Worth and shows people in other areas of the state and the country that Fort Worthians do care and are willing to take a stand.
鈥淭arrant County, well, it鈥檚 the seed of Christian nationalism in Texas. It鈥檚 the last urban Republican stronghold in Texas, (but) there are a lot of blue dots here. We鈥檙e just always on the cusp,鈥� Ball said. 鈥淚 would like to take Fort Worth back.鈥�
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org.
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org.
