Reflections on 3 Signs
by Terrence in Vancouver, Washington at No Kings Day
Flowers: This beautiful hand-painted sign was captivating and gorgeous. The lady holding it was very shy and said do not show my face. She is terrified of ICE and has seen several of her neighbors taken away without warning. She was scared to be seen at the rally, I assured her everyone there were like-minded and that she was safe. She also carried a duffle bag to put the sign into before she walked home. There were no counter-protesters or agitators visible. Her sign was by far the most beautiful and is gallery worthy. The sign includes a paraphrase of author Audre Lorde’s quote, “The work of the artist is to turn her rage into flowers.” It is shameful that our government has made its citizens afraid.
Editor’s Note: Poet and author Audre Lorde used her writing to shine light on her experience of the world as a Black lesbian woman and later, as a mother and person suffering from cancer. A prominent member of the women’s and LGBTQ rights movements, her writings called attention to the multifaceted nature of identity and the ways in which people from different walks of life could grow stronger together. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/audre-lorde
The Constitution: A gentleman in period costume of the 1770s was quietly standing alone under a tree. He wasn’t moving and it made me notice him. When I approached and said hello he responded with ‘Greetings, my friend.’ His simple sign about the Constitution didn’t need much explanation and he seemed so authentic that I had to ask him if he had time traveled to be with us on No Kings Day. He laughed and said if he could time travel he certainly would avoid this time period. I had to agree and said I would remember his visit and thanked him.
Characters: This sweet little sign has a huge message and touches on very heavy topics. It made me smile to see how friendly and cute the characters are. She was thrilled I wanted to photograph it. When asked about sharing her story she hesitated and said ‘No, I changed my mind.’ I had already photographed her sign and she said it was fine to share it. If this was a t-shirt, I would buy one for everyone I know.
Signs of the Time is an all-volunteer collective that cares deeply about this fraught moment in time. We celebrate the creative ways people are demonstrating at rallies around the country by taking photos of protest signs and uncovering the stories behind them.
By posting protest signs/stories to our media channels, we hope to:
amplify the originality and ferocity of purpose of each sign’s message;
honor the personal stories that inspired the making of the signs;
elevate each sign-makers’ passion as an urgent call to action; and
create an archive of citizens’ resistance against the current administration.
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To submit your own sign and story, please go to Signs-of-the-Time.com.
Photos of signs and interview comments have been used with permission of the sign creators, photographers and citizen journalists.