On Saturday, I stood hand in hand with my North Gwinnett neighbors, one voice in a sea of over 20,000 people who filled the streets of Atlanta with a message that could not be ignored: Hands off our country and our people!
We gathered not in anger alone but in determination, unity, and love for our communities, families, and futures. From Piedmont Park to Liberty Plaza, the chants rose up through the city like a battle cry: We have had enough.
Enough of seeing innocent people deported in the dead of night. Enough of watching decades of civil rights progress unravel. Enough of public lands handed over to oil companies. Enough of the endless cruelty packaged as “policy.”
We marched because this country is at a tipping point. We marched because many of our friends, family, and neighbors are hurting. We marched because the threats we face are real, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
We came from every corner of Georgia— students, elders, immigrants, union members, teachers, nurses, parents, activists, and allies. What united us was the same unshakable belief: this nation belongs to all of us— not to a handful of billionaires or politicians trying to tear it apart.
A Journey of Resistance: Piedmont Park to Liberty Plaza
Our route was more than a map through Atlanta— it was a path through history and toward a future worth fighting for. We began in the heart of Piedmont Park, where so many protests, parades, and movements have taken shape. With signs in hand and purpose in our hearts, we made our way to Liberty Plaza, standing in the shadow of the Capitol building.
At every step, our voices echoed off buildings and into the open air: “Hands off our rights!”“The people united will never be defeated!”“Whose streets? Our streets!”
It wasn’t quiet. It wasn’t polite. It wasn’t designed for press releases or corporate headlines. It was raw, honest, and powerful.
People watched from balconies and sidewalks; some cheered, some joined us, and in those moments, it was clear: This wasn’t just a protest. It was a movement in motion.
What We’re Fighting For:
This isn’t about one policy or politician. It’s about a full-scale attack on the values we hold dear. It’s about fighting for basic human dignity— for ourselves and for others.
What we demand is loud and clear:
Hands off immigrants.
No more deportations without due process. No more families separated at the border. Immigrants are essential to this nation— they pick our food, build our homes, teach our children, care for our sick, and serve in our military. They are America, and they made America.
To treat them as disposable is not only cruel—it’s self-defeating. We demand a fair and humane immigration system, treating everyone with dignity and respect.
Hands off women’s rights.
We are not going backward. We will not return to a time when our bodily autonomy was up for debate in courtrooms and legislatures.
Abortion is healthcare, birth control is healthcare, maternal care is healthcare, and every woman— regardless of zip code or income— deserves access to it without shame or stigma.
Hands off LGBTQ+ rights.
To our trans siblings, our queer youth, and our LGBTQIA+ families: We see you, we love you, and we will fight for your right to live openly, safely, and fully.
Let trans people live. Let queer people love. Stop the bans. Stop the bullying. Stop the hate.
Hands off our economy and livelihoods.
The economy may be “recovered” on paper, but working people know better. Wages are stagnant, costs are rising, and the 1% is hoarding more wealth than ever before.
Meanwhile, working families watch their 401(k)s shrink, housing prices skyrocket, and medical bills pile up— we are being squeezed from all sides. It’s not enough to survive— we deserve to thrive. We need living wages, job protections, union rights, and real economic security.
Hands off our voting rights.
Voter roll purges. Voter ID laws. Closing polling places. Gerrymandering. Now, the so-called SAVE Act is threatening to take us even further back.
This is the same old game: suppress the vote and silence the people. But we know our power and won’t be tricked or intimidated. Let the people vote. Let every voice be heard.
Hands off the CDC, public health, and veterans’ services.
Atlanta is home to the CDC— once the gold standard in public health, now being gutted and attacked. Funding cuts, political interference, and anti-science rhetoric have left us vulnerable in the face of new health threats.
We’re already seeing measles outbreaks, we’re watching the HIV/AIDS infrastructure erode, and those most at risk— our children, our elders, and our veterans— are paying the price.
Public health isn’t optional. It’s essential.
Hands off Social Security, Medicaid, and our National Parks.
We’ve paid into these programs for decades. Our parents and grandparents relied on them. Our kids will need them, too. Yet, we’re watching lawmakers try to slash them to ribbons in the name of “efficiency.” Let’s be real— it’s not efficiency; it’s theft, plain and simple.
And don’t even think about privatizing our public lands. Keep your tiny hands off our national parks— they belong to all of us.
A Movement Across Generations:
What gave me the most hope that day wasn’t just the chants or the crowd size— it was who stood beside me. Civil rights icons in their 70s and 80s marched with teenagers holding homemade signs. A grandmother with a walker raised her fist next to a student with a megaphone. Mothers carried toddlers on their backs. Veterans wore peace pins on their jackets.
This is what democracy looks like— a living, breathing movement that bridges generations.
Our elders marched in the ’60s. Now, they march again— not because they want to, but because they know what’s at stake. Our young people show up because they know their future depends on it. We meet in the middle to carry this movement forward together. This is about legacy. It’s about memory. It’s about building something that lasts longer than any person or administration.
The Message is Clear:
This country does not belong to billionaires, lobbyists, or extremist lawmakers. It belongs to us— the people.
To the workers. The dreamers. The parents. The students. The caretakers. The creators. The people who make this country run every single day. We are not here to beg for scraps. We are here to demand justice.
We’re not asking for special treatment—we’re asking for fairness, safety, and dignity— and we will keep asking. We will keep marching. We will keep showing up until the message is heard.
Will You Stand With Us?
If you weren’t there on Saturday, there will be another chance. Another march. Another rally. Another fight. And we need you there.
It can feel overwhelming— like the problems are too big, the opposition too powerful, but history shows us repeatedly when the people rise, change happens. So here’s the ask: Show up. Speak out. Stand up for your neighbors. Stand up for yourself.
We need each other more than ever, and together, we are unstoppable.
This Is Our Moment:
The Hands Off rally wasn’t just a protest but a promise. A promise that we will not give in to fear, that we will not stay silent, and that we will not be divided. We are the majority, we are the momentum, and we are the moral compass.
The time to act is now. The movement is growing. The tide is rising. The future is ours to shape— hands off our country and people because we are not going anywhere!
Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michellekangforga.substack.com
