Concert Marks One Year Since First No Kings Day
Event held in Bozeman, MT, June 14, 2026 in conjunction with
the Rise Up, Sing Out concert in New York City. Events and watch
parties were held in various locations.
June 14 marked the one-year anniversary of the first No Kings Day mobilization, one of the largest days of protest held in the U.S., with some 6 million people taking part in actions in every state. The No Kings Day demonstrations since have brought together 8 million in every state, with banners and signs making clear the stand for rights and against tyranny and war. No Kings, No Colonies, No Genocide!
To mark the anniversary of the
first mobilization, an event was held in New York City
called "Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment." It
refers to the First
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, one of the 10 amendments that make
up the Bill of
Rights. The Bill of Rights was only included in the Constitution after
fierce fighting by the
people for their demands. The First Amendment reads: "Congress shall
make no law
respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging
the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and
to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
There have long been brutal attacks on these rights, recognized and affirmed by the people though the Constitution itself gives powers to Congress to decide, not the people. These attacks have been stepped up, including targeting the many student actions on campuses protesting for Palestine, those opposing ICE, workers honouring pickets to block war supplies to Israel, academics, teachers, and many others who are standing up for their rights to speak, organize and assemble.
The 90-minute concert was a stand for the right to speak and featured performances and remarks by many well-known cultural personalities, including Jane Fonda, Bette Midler, Julia Roberts, Lily Gladstone and Robert De Niro. The event was livestreamed and reached hundreds of thousands of people besides those at the concert venue.
Along with various protest songs, speeches at the concert denounced the Trump administration's attacks on rights, artists and cultural workers, and LGBTQ+ people, especially trans people. Gladstone, who is from the Blackfeet Nation, spoke about the families being displaced and torn apart, noting that Indigenous Peoples have suffered this crime by the U.S. government for centuries. Roberts recited a poem in honour of Renée Nicole Good, who was shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minneapolis on January 7.
The concert was organized by the Committee for the First Amendment, which describes itself as "a large collective of artists, storytellers, and cultural leaders standing together to defend free expression against government repression, industry complicity, and intimidation." The first iteration of the committee was formed in 1947 during the McCarthyite anti-people, anti-communist repression, initially to support the Hollywood Ten, screenwriters blacklisted after Senator Joseph McCarthy and his House Un-American Activities Committee accused them of communist sympathies. It then broadened its scope to oppose government persecution of elected officials, government employees, academics and others for their political beliefs. News reports indicate that the committee was revived on the initiative of Fonda following the election of Donald Trump to his second term as U.S. president.
Watching the concert in Salem, AL, June 14, 2026
(With files from First Amendment Committee, Guardian)
This article was published in
Volume 56 Number 5 - July 4, 2026
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/TML2026/Articles/TS56058.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca