Before the chants started and long before the first speaker took the microphone, people were already drifting toward one another — introducing themselves, comparing stories, soaking up the quiet relief of being in a crowd where, for once, they didn’t feel outnumbered. 

What emerged in those early moments of the March 28 “No Kings 3” rallies in Haywood and Jackson counties wasn’t just a protest but a kind of recognition, a temporary reordering of identity where private beliefs, often muted in churches, social circles or workplaces, could be expressed openly and without hesitation. 

To the Editor:

Does it seem like every day you are overwhelmed by the atrocities in the news? Are you feeling beaten down in despair and hopelessness? Are you longing for some positive energy, some common sense, some time to gather with others, a chance to make some changes in the world?  

We invite you to come join us.

To the Editor:

In Western North Carolina we’ve been insulated from the horror and tragedies across the country. We haven’t seen the ICE raids, but sadly I recently learned that ICE is around. We don’t have the details but in Asheville a friend of one of one of my friends was picked up and sent to Atlanta. 

To the Editor:

Out with the old, in with the new: time for reflection, perhaps resolve; certainly time to separate fact from fiction, truth from lies. As Lord Chesterfield believed, “that refuse of fools and cowards.” 

A weekend rally organized by Hands off Haywood commenced with the presentation of a $2,500 check to Haywood Christian Ministries in Waynesville, highlighting a direct link between protest activism and local hunger relief.

Hands off Haywood organizer Mary Ford told the crowd that demonstrators have faced insults and “more middle fingers since March than we have in our entire lives” while taking to the streets on a weekly basis earlier this year but said the group’s focus has remained on democracy and community support.

To the Editor:

Some protestors of the Trump administration created what they call “No Kings Day” on June 14, 2025.  They claim that Trump’s policies resemble monarchical rule rather than democratic governance. While all presidents have power, it is limited. 

To the Editor:

On June 14, Indivisible Common Ground WNC and other progressive groups mobilized against the excesses of the Trump regime for “No Kings.” Since then, things have gotten worse. Free speech is being muzzled and the government is targeting immigrant families; profiling, arresting and detaining people without warrants, threatening to overtake elections and gutting health care and environmental protections.

To the Editor:

America’s founders rejected monarchy for a reason: no one should ever hold unchecked power. That’s why Indivisible and others rally under “No Kings,” because that principle is under direct assault.

On the five-year anniversary of the death of civil rights icon and longtime U.S. Congressman John Lewis, more than 170 people clad in black and white gathered on the steps of the Haywood County Historic Courthouse for a somber memorial that quickly turned into a powerful statement of resistance.

Since 1932, the ashlar veneer of the Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville has borne silent witness to memorable events in local and national history — the Great Depression, World War II, Korea, the Civil Rights era, Vietnam, 9/11, Afghanistan, the Gulf Wars and most recently the county’s first LGBTQ+ Pride celebration — but a gathering on Flag Day, the same day President Donald Trump celebrated his birthday with a military parade in Washington, D.C., may prove to be just as enduring.