The late civil rights activist John Lewis didn’t have Juneau ties, but Juneau residents marked the anniversary of his death Thursday night with a protest of the Trump Administration’s cuts to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy and what they see as an attack on civil rights.
Six-year-old Shiras Dihle held a sign on the corner of Egan Drive and the Douglas Bridge that read “Make America Kind Again” in colorful letters.
“Being good to people makes them be good to you,” he said.
He stood with his mom and younger brother alongside more than a hundred other Juneau residents who joined the so-called “Good Trouble” protest along downtown Juneau’s busiest road during rush hour traffic.
“Good trouble” was the credo of John Lewis, an icon of the civil rights movement. He was known for his work throughout the 1960s to end segregation and gain voting rights using nonviolent activism. He referred to such activism as “good trouble, necessary trouble” to achieve change. Lewis continued his advocacy work for decades as a politician until his death at 80 in 2020.
On Thursday, more than a thousand protests in his honor took place across the U.S., including in different parts of Alaska.
Juneau resident Michael Ciri said he was protesting to advocate for diversity, something he says is what makes America great. He took a page out of Lewis’s book.
“I like to sit in my home, in my chair with my cats. That’s where I would be right now,” he said. “But I think John Lewis has called everybody to say, ‘You need to get out of your seat. You need to be coming from a good place. You need to be prepared to make some trouble.’”
Dozens of protests have been held in the capital city since Donald Trump took office for his second term as president.
Areil Hasse-Zamudio works with Juneau For Democracy and helped organize the event alongside other local advocacy organizations. She said it’s important that Alaska’s capital makes its voice heard during what she says is an attack on civil and human rights by the current administration.
“We’re here in the spirit of John Lewis,” she said. “Talking about using his quote as inspiration to never be afraid to get in good trouble when it’s necessary, especially at a time where a lot of people are very afraid of their rights being taken away.”
Janet Kussart has lived in Juneau for more than five decades. She turns 80 next month.
But for now, she stood on the side of the road holding a sign. She got a little teary-eyed when she described the breadth of cuts to federal services. She called it a gutting of the U.S. Constitution.
“I mean, you have to protest that,” she said. “There’s just no sitting home and feeling sorry for yourself. You have to get out with others like this. This is inspiring.”
She said, though she might be retired from working, she’ll never retire from standing up for civil rights.
