Over 8 million people participated in No Kings protests nationwide. Wisconsin held over 100 protests throughout the state.
It was a beautiful day of non-violent action and solidarity. Sinceree Dixon, LWVWI Communications Manager, was invited to speak at the Madison rally, please find her speech below:
Thank you all for being here, thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak and being in solidarity with you in this movement to say no thrones. No crowns. No kings!
My name is Sinceree Dixon. I am the communications manager with LWVWI, but my most important role is as a mother. I am a Black and Indigenous woman, Menominee and Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, born and raised in Milwaukee, WI. I am from the 53206 zip code. This is significant because it is one of the most underserved neighborhoods in the city, impacted by systemic barriers, over policing, food deserts, and harmful stereotypes. Where I am from and my lived experience is what radicalized me from a very young age. I knew what institutionalized racism was before I knew the term institutionalized racism. My parents sent my siblings and me to school in Menomonee Falls, a wealthy suburb 30 miles away, where I saw firsthand the stark disparities between my predominantly Black community and an all-white one. It was like I lived between two different worlds. I turned those early observations into motivation to rise beyond my circumstances and to educate myself about why things were that way. These early experiences fuel my advocacy and my commitment to fight for fairness and equality for all.
My work with the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin is rooted in creating sustainable change through collective action. Protecting our democracy requires all of us to move with intention, to stand up for one another, and to get out and vote! By being here today, we are affirming a shared belief that the power is in the hands of the people and in building a future where fascism is condemned and we will not allow ourselves to be bullied or silenced by authoritarian regimes. We believe in the power of our vote, from local elections to statewide and national. It is important to vote in every election. We will not allow our votes to be suppressed or our rights to be violated.
No thrones. No crowns. No kings. That’s why we vote!
My story is a testament to the power of believing that a better world is possible. Instead of allowing where I come from to be defined by struggle, I know it as a place of culture, family, and hope, where joy persists even in the hardest circumstances, and that joy becomes an act of resistance. Right now, we are all facing unprecedented hardships at the hands of our own government, and I am here to tell you that we are stronger together, and our resistance is a force to be reckoned with. We cannot thrive through individualism. Movements are built through community.
My activism is rooted in my heritage. Shared responsibility and respect guide every action. In our traditions, strength comes from our people and from honoring all relatives and living harmoniously with the Earth. We understand the Earth is a living being. She needs to be taken care of as we would take care of ourselves, and we are taught to make decisions with the next seven generations in mind. That teaching connects directly to this moment. It calls us to defend our democracy, to resist authoritarianism in all its forms, and to fight for a future where our communities, our rights, and our voices are protected for generations to come. We are fighting for a better future for those who have not yet been born.
My story is part of a larger American story, the real history that often goes untold. I am here to tell the truth about this country, not the sanitized version, but the one my ancestors have lived. Our country is but 250 years old, but Indigenous people have been in the Americas for tens of thousands of years, as the elders say, since time immemorial. So, to be honest, I don’t find ease in uplifting the story of our forefathers. They did not have my people in mind when writing the Constitution, and this is an uncomfortable truth, but change does not come from comfort. It comes from having the courage to confront injustice and disrupt the status quo, even in the presence of fear. The history of the United States, of global colonization, is one we must address because “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” We cannot fix what we refuse to face.
This country was built on systems of exclusion and exploitation, and that truth connects every chapter of our history to this present moment. Native people endured genocide, forced removal, boarding schools, and sterilization. The goal was to erase us. The stolen land that we stand on today is filled with the pain of the past, but more importantly, the power of resilience and people who continued to rise through the darkest times. Black people were kidnapped, enslaved, and forced to build a nation that denied their humanity, followed by generations of Jim Crow laws that enforced segregation and brutal violence. My father was born in 1936. He lived through extreme racial injustices. This is not a distant past, and it is still here today. Immigrants face criminalization, family separation, and the denial of due process and lack of any real pathway to citizenship. We see the same patterns of injustice from the days of slavery persist in mass incarceration, in the abuses of ICE, and in policies that tear families apart and rely on fear and intimidation to control us. These are not isolated. They are part of the same system, shaped by the same playbook that has been used since the conception of this country to maintain power and divide. We are all here today to speak against these grave injustices, reconcile with these truths, so that we can move towards a brighter future. Our strength lies in the values we share, no matter what political side you are on. We are fighting for a future where everyone has access to healthcare, education, clean air and water, healthy food, housing, childcare, and the opportunity to not just survive, but to thrive. No matter our differences, we are united by the belief that everyone deserves the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
No thrones. No crowns. No kings. That’s why we vote!
Our government’s strategy is to flood the zone with one horrific action after another, and while our heads are spinning trying to figure out what to do, we have to make sure that we don’t lose sight of each other. We have to look out for one another. Many people can’t make rent, don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Meanwhile, our country has increased the budget for ICE by $75 billion and pays uneducated ICE agents more than teachers. Our government has shown they value destruction and profit over people. Our fights are many, and we need to continue to work together. The most successful grassroots movements are strategic, have attainable goals, and require time, dedication, and training.
Our ancestors organized, marched, and demanded dignity when the system refused to provide it. From the Suffrage Movement to the Civil Rights Movement, the American Indian Movement, the Black Panther Party, the Brown Berets, the Stonewall Uprising, and Black Lives Matter, and so many more, people came together to fight for justice, for voting rights, for fair wages, reproductive rights, disability rights, for LGBTQ+ rights, and for their humanity. These victories remind us that transformative change is possible when people unite with purpose.
Pieces of every movement that came before us are still alive today and inspire our action. When we see authoritarians attempt to strip away rights and freedoms, we show up! The more we resist, boycott, protest, and speak up, their pillars of support start to crumble. That is why the fight for liberation cannot slow down. We build power through mutual aid networks, sustained action, and exercising our right to vote. This is a call to action. True freedom creates the opportunity for everyone to be able to realize the American dream. No one is free until we are all free.
No thrones. No crowns. No kings. That’s why we vote!
Voting is one of the most important ways for us to take action. The right to vote had to be won through struggle and sacrifice because people refused to be silenced. And even now, as we face ongoing efforts to suppress the vote and weaken democratic participation, we are reminded that protecting our democracy is not optional, it is essential. Our vote is our voice, and our voice is our power.
For over a century, the League of Women Voters has stood on the frontlines of this work, defending voting rights, fair elections, and equal representation. Our work is a reminder that democracy does not belong to one party. It belongs to all people. And the people must demand that elected officials serve with integrity, uphold the Constitution, and respect the dignity and rights of every individual.
We all have a responsibility to act. Early voting is happening now, and this is our moment to be heard. Make a commitment to vote, not just once, but to show up in every election. Because every vote is an act of resistance and a step forward. As a matter of fact, I want to ask everyone to take out your phones right now and text three friends to tell them to vote! Tell them they can vote early or on Election Day, on April 7th. This is not a time to sit on the sidelines.
We are dealing with an administration who lacks morals, filled with hypocrisy, misinformation, and manipulation of the media, one who cares more about frivolous ballrooms and gold coins than they care about people’s need to eat and feed their families. But I do not want to go too deeply into that. We all see the atrocities taking place every day. The administration has supported a genocide, started an unjust war, bombed a school full of children, is starving countries of resources, and says they can do whatever they want and see no consequences. This administration is motivated by greed and imperialism. And that’s why we are here! We reject elected officials who act like kings, who abuse power, who ignore the rule of law, and who undermine the very foundations of democracy. We are demanding accountability and justice. The government must serve the people, not control them. We the people have the power to effect change. Our elected leaders work for us, not the other way around.
We hold onto hope even when it is hard. We are creating beauty even in the midst of chaos. The future we are building is shaped by equity and sustained by collective care, where diversity in all its forms is embraced, where people of all races, genders, and backgrounds are included, and people are put first. I want you to understand that it is okay to lean on one another, it’s okay to ask for help, it’s also okay to take a step back when things get heavy. Your community will be here for you. We need you. Each and every one of you showing up matters! A better world is possible. I know this to be true because I have seen it myself. I implore you to turn to someone you don’t know and introduce yourself. This is our moment, this is the time to build and find ways to work towards the goals we all share. We can abolish ICE, we can tax the rich, we can demand the end to the prison industrial complex, we can end wars and genocides, and leave trans people the hell alone. We have to keep showing up, we have to use our vote.
The fight for justice is ongoing, and our dedication to saving our democracy is unwavering. This needs to be the start of a real revolution. Together, through the power of the people, we will rise. And together, we will win.
No thrones. No crowns. No kings. That’s why we vote!
