Six‑Month Statement of Gratitude

From 50501 | NC

50501 | NC Organizers
50501 | NC
info@50501NC.com
www.50501nc.com
8/5/2025

North Carolina family,

It’s hard to put into words what the past six months have felt like. We’ve cried together, laughed together, and held one another when fear threatened to settle in. We’ve watched parents push strollers in marches they never thought they’d have to join. We’ve seen teenagers with homemade signs stand defiantly in front of riot shields. We’ve hugged strangers who, in a different time, might have passed us by on the street without a second glance. Through it all, you kept showing up.

On February 5, you sparked something. On February 17, March 4, and March 15, you stoked that spark into a flame. By April 5 and April 19, the flame had become a bonfire. When we planned for a few thousand people, 15,000 of you filled our state's capital city. In Fayetteville, thousands of voices rose in unison. You weren’t just protesting; you were proclaiming that every person in North Carolina deserves dignity, safety, and a say in how we’re governed.

On May 1, June 6, and June 14, we were joined by millions across the country. More than 2,000 demonstrations erupted from coast to coast. Conservative estimates put the turnout at ten million people. Some reckon that 13 million or more took part. That’s one out of every twenty‑seven Americans choosing action over apathy. In Seattle, 70,000 people showed up; in Chicago, 20,000; in Philadelphia, 100,000. These aren’t just numbers; they’re hearts beating with ours.

During the July 4th–6th weekend, July 17 and August 2, even as fireworks exploded and summer sun beat down, you made time to chant “No kings” with sweat running down your backs. You listened to speeches about immigrant families torn apart. You learned first aid in case the worst happened. You read about flood victims in Western North Carolina still waiting for federal aid, while watching National Guard troops deployed against peaceful protesters. It was enough to make anyone despair—and yet you turned that despair into determination.

We say “thank you” not as a perfunctory line but as an acknowledgment of the sacrifices you’ve made. Many of you used vacation days to march. Others risked arrest, losing their jobs, losing friends. Some of you have been anonymously sending donations, gas money, and food, trusting that the people on the ground will make sure it reaches those who need it most. Every call you made to your representative, every time you confronted a neighbor spouting misinformation, every time you showed up for someone else’s liberation—you were building our collective future. Our fight isn’t over. In fact, it is just beginning. The federal playbook has become clearer: abandon communities in need, deploy force to intimidate dissent, and hope we get tired.

We won’t. Not now, not ever. We’ll keep building networks of care, training more legal observers, medics, artists, and translators. We’ll keep showing up for each other—not because it’s easy, but because it’s necessary. We’ll continue to act independently here in North Carolina while strengthening ties to a national movement that stretches from rural Montana all the way to Miami.

As we look ahead, remember how it felt on those days: the fear in your gut, the hope in your chest, the tears in your eyes when you heard a chant go up from 15,000 voices at once. Hold on to that. Let it fuel you when the news gets worse, before it gets better. And ask yourself, when your grandchildren read about this moment in their history books: will they be proud of where you stood?

With love, heartbreak, anger, and endless gratitude,

50501 | NC