It’s a weird, humbling thing to lead a group someplace you’ve never been before! I showed up, a protest newbie who loves Jesus and justice, at one of the February 17, 2025, rallies that were held all over the country to protest the new administration’s policies, and I’m so glad I did.
In case it helps any other potential newbies out there, here are five worries that will never hold me back again, and why.
1. Not having anyone to go with.
2. Not knowing what I was doing.
It turns out, it really is as simple as showing up and following the lead of more experienced people. Sure, bring a water bottle, have your phone fully charged, wear some sunscreen and comfy shoes (maybe noise-reducing earplugs, see worry #3 below). You may enjoy making a sign or having something else to wave—it’s nice to have something to do with your hands!
3. Getting overwhelmed.
I’m an introvert with anxiety—easily overstimulated and not into crowds. So yes, I needed some recovery time after the protest. But what ended up mattering more while I was there was the sense of purpose I brought in with me. I felt grounded in my deep convictions about a God who loves mercy, works justice, and takes special care of the poor, the immigrant, the marginalized. I also knew some of my friends wanted to be there so badly but couldn’t for fear of their immigration process getting derailed or of losing their job. So I felt the privilege and responsibility of being there, standing for them.
4. What other people might think.
You know the SNL church lady sketch? Yeah, that’s one of the voices I internalized at an early age. Easily shocked and offended. An eager volunteer to police other people’s choices and morality (yet slow to notice deeper injustices at play). Well, church lady would absolutely object to the people I was hanging out with at that protest—she wouldn’t have approved of their anger or their humor or their “foul language,” and on and on. But these days, I know how to recognize when she shows up and compassionately give her the day off (her work is unnecessary and exhausting!). I felt so connected to the mix of emotions and human experiences around me (I’m angry too! I’m hopeful too!) and so grateful we all got to show up together.
5. Not getting involved sooner.
Some of us have been involved in other ways besides organized protest. (Resistance does take many forms.) Some of us have, for a variety of reasons, never felt free enough, or empowered enough, to voice our concerns this way. And some of us are seeing what’s going on around us in new and disorienting ways. No one scolded me or any of my first-time friends, whatever our reasons—they welcomed us in. If the best time to get started was last year, the next best time is now, right?
** Wondering how to hear about upcoming protests? Connect to the activist networks in your community whose causes are close to your heart, like those standing up for immigrants, for seniors, for LGBTQ+ people, and for the environment. It’s their lead we need to follow!
Brenna Rubio co-pastors City Church of Long Beach, a small, radically inclusive congregation in California. An ordained RCA minister with a theology degree from Fuller Seminary, she’s more interested in asking honest questions than offering easy answers. She co-founded Small Church Big Table to help churches explore LGBTQ+ welcome and regularly contributes to blogs, podcasts, and conferences. Her blog, Big Flip Spirituality, is on Substack, where this article was posted. It appears here by kind permission of the author.
