Hands Off!

Thank you for showing up, Chapel Hill!

On Saturday, April 5, Chapel Hill NOW hosted a Hands Off! rally in downtown Chapel Hill. This rally was part of the nationwide effort to signal to the current administration that the program cuts at the federal level negatively affect our families and neighbors at the local level. I have never seen Peace & Justice Plaza so packed - not to mention the sizable overflow crowd on the campus side of Franklin Street. The size and passion of the crowd was truly amazing and it was healing to be together in community.

This gathering was powerful and important. And my hope is that it is only the start of our collective action. I had the honor to be a speaker at this event and want to share my remarks with an even larger audience:

We gather today not just as individuals, but as a community that believes in fairness, compassion - DEI! - and the power of collective good. I know that many of you are feeling angry, frustrated, and worried about the actions of the current administration, including massive cuts to federal funding, and I want to start by acknowledging those feelings. These cuts have already begun to hurt our community, and we live with the dread of more to come

Over the past 75 days, we have witnessed funding cuts that can only be described as indiscriminate and cruel - to affordable housing, social services, environmental protection, healthcare, and scientific research. These aren’t just budget decisions—they are value statements. They send a message to communities like Chapel Hill that clean air, stable housing, access to health care and education, and scientific progress doesn’t matter. That equal access to opportunity doesn’t matter. That if you are not male and straight and white and Christian, that you don’t matter. That struggling communities should do more with less, while the wealthiest benefit from doing less with more.

But we know better. A government’s greatness - whether local, state or national - is not measured by the size of its corporate tax breaks, but by how it treats its people—especially the most vulnerable. This administration can cut our funds but they cannot control our values.

I have had the good fortune to spend the last few days at the incredible Full Frame Documentary Film Fest that takes place every year in Durham. It opened with a film about former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who famously insisted that government can be both strong and kind. She said:

“I believe the role of government is to do what people cannot do alone — to ensure that people are housed, that they are fed, that they are safe, that they have access to opportunities to live good, fulfilling lives.”

I know our town shares this core belief. But I also believe that the majority of this country does too. This administration wants us to believe this is not true. They want us to believe that there are more of them than there are of us. I reject that.

More unites us than divides us. So let us reject the false choice between compassion and strength. A truly strong government lifts its people up—it doesn’t leave them behind. We are committed to this here in Chapel Hill and will fight for it at state and federal levels.

So, while we are angry and scared, I want to remind you that we are not powerless. This fight is far from over. Our voices matter more than ever. Our advocacy matters. So, let’s stand together and stay engaged. Show up. Speak out. Protest. Call your representatives. And call again. And again. Volunteer. Support our frontline local organizations doing the hard work with less resources.

Let’s be the community that not only believes in justice—but acts on it.