No Kings Rally Address
My name is Christine Hallquist. I am a proud, out transgender woman, and I proudly carry this American Flag.
This flag is about great expectations. It is about Liberty and Justice For All. Today, how much liberty and justice you receive depends on how much money you have. If you're a billionaire, you get all the liberty and expect no justice. If you're a woman, you get less. If you're Muslim, you get little. And if you're a Black transgender woman living on the streets of Chicago, you get none.
We are the patriots. That is why we are all here today. We are patriots to the truth that we are endowed with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is time we take back the flag. It is time we take back patriotism. We are patriots to each other, not to the almighty dollar.
Patriots have been fighting for liberty and justice for over 400 years, since the first recorded arrival of enslaved Africans on these shores. There has been progress, hard-fought progress, won through the struggles of our ancestors. We are here to carry on that tradition. We will not stop until we truly have equality and justice for all.
Now, I want to speak plainly about something. I do not approve of how police handled the March 11 ICE incident in Williston. And I also want to call out the very few among us who responded with hostility. We will not win people over that way.
As civil rights leaders have taught us, liberty and justice come through persistent, disciplined, nonviolent resistance. When we remain calm in the face of provocation, we occupy the moral high ground. A peaceful crowd facing an aggressive response shifts public opinion powerfully in our favor. Civility is not weakness; it is strategy, and it is strength.
The words now burned into my soul are those of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." We cannot let up. Our work will never be done. We must stay strong and stay united.
When you're running through hell, keep running.
I am proud to stand here with every one of you. Thank you for everything you do. And make sure you support Amanda Janoo for Governor!