Hundreds of Islanders gathered at Five Corners in Vineyard Haven on Thursday afternoon with handwritten signs and music as part of a nationwide rally celebrating the life of Congressman John Lewis on the fifth anniversary of his passing.
Lewis was a civil rights activist who first coined the phrase “good trouble,” in a 2018 post on Twitter. “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America,” Lewis famously said in a speech in Selma, Alabama on Bloody Sunday in 2020.
The phrase was on the minds of protesters on the Island Thursday, many who held signs like “redeem the soul of America,” “trouble maker,” and “no more lies.” .
“It means when times are dark don’t just sit back and be complacent,” said an organizer, Carla Cooper, while at Five Corners.
“Get out there and make some good trouble, nonviolence is the message,” she said.
Cooper said it’s not only the right thing to do, but it’s everyone’s responsibility as a citizen to send a message if people are being wronged or marginalized.
“If you are going to complain, if you are going to be unhappy with the status quo, then I think it’s your duty to get out there and say something,” she said. “He [John Lewis ] sacrificed his safety and health for the advancement of his people.”
The local rally was organized by Indivisible MV, Showing Up for Racial Justice Martha’s Vineyard (SURJ MV), and the Unitarian Universalist Society of Martha’s Vineyard. Aside from joyful music and cheering protesters, vehicle drivers blared their horns in support driving through the intersection.
“We are here to stand in solidarity with the black community, the brown community, the immigrant community, everybody who is under attack right now. We are going to stand up for you and make good trouble for you,” said Cooper.
“I wish we didn’t need to be doing this right now but it’s gratifying and it’s a good way to build community and it gets people out and feeling like they are part of something bigger and not home alone worried and scared and fearful,” she added.