MEDIA ADVISORY: Annapolis Joins National John Lewis Day of Action “Good Trouble Lives On”
PRESS RELEASE – For Immediate Release, Monday July 14, 2025
Contact:
Carl Snowden, 443-871-5656, snowdencarl23@gmail.com
Lynda Davis, 410-790-3128, lyndadvis@aol.com
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MEDIA ADVISORY: Annapolis Joins National John Lewis Day of Action “Good Trouble Lives On”
Annapolis, MD — On Thursday, July 17, (the anniversary of Congressman John Lewis’ death), community members in Annapolis will join Americans at more than 1,400 events nationwide to honor the legacy of Congressman John Lewis and fight back against the growing attacks on our civil and human rights.
The local action in Annapolis is part of Good Trouble Lives On (www.goodtroubleliveson.org), a nationwide day of peaceful, nonviolent action rooted in the legacy of the civil rights movement and inspired by John Lewis’ call to make “good trouble, necessary trouble.”
Participants will gather to demand an end to the authoritarian attacks on our freedom to vote, protest, and organize — and to stand united against efforts to criminalize our communities, roll back our rights, and slash vital public programs.
Local organizers invite press to attend and report on our peaceful action in defense of democracy.
WHO:
The organizers of the event include a mulitracial coalition made up of the following groups:
- Anne Arundel Indivisible
- Caucus of African American Leaders (CAAL)
- Chesapeake Indivisible
- Coalition for LGBTQ+ Students
- Free State Coalition
- Showing Up for Racial Justice Annapolis and Anne Arundel County (SURJ3A)
- Transformative Justice Coalition
Confirmed Speakers are:
- Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth representing Maryland’s Third District
- Honorable Carl O. Snowden, Convener of CAAL
- Evelyn DeJesus, Executive Vice President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
- Alderman DaJuan Gay representing Ward 6 in Annapolis
- Renee Clarke, Founder of the Good Trouble Think-Tank
- Joe Toolan, Chair of Annapolis Pride
- Elizabeth Ruddy, Member of the Board of Directors for the Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County (TAAAC)
- Ninfa Amador-Hernandez, CASA MD Policy Manager
WHAT:
On March 7, 1965, as part of the decades-long struggle for voting rights in Selma, Alabama, about 600 marchers, including John Lewis, set out to march from Selma to Montgomery. As they reached the apex of the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, they saw a line of police officers, some on horseback, facing them. They kept going. Already a seasoned activist, Lewis was badly beaten again on that day. He kept going for the rest of his life in the face of many obstacles and kept demanding civil and human rights for all.
On July 17, 2025, participants in the Annapolis Good Trouble Lives On will march over the Naval Academy Bridge (Md. Rt. 450) and the Eastport Bridge to symbolize John Lewis’ march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge and his lifetime of marching for civil and human rights. The people marching over the Eastport and the Naval Academy bridges will meet another group that will be marching down Main Street at the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial at City Dock. Together, they will march to Lawyer’s Mall (100 State Circle, Annapolis MD) for the rally, which will start after the marchers arrive.
On July 17th, we will be sending a clear message, along with others across the country. In the United States, the power lies in the hands of the people. We demand an end to:
- The Trump administration’s extreme crackdown on our civil rights – from our right to vote to our right to protest andspeak freely.
- Politicians targeting Black and Brown Americans, immigrants, trans people, and others with hateful, dangerouspolicies.
- The slashing of programs that working people rely on – including Medicaid, SNAP, and Social Security – to line thepockets of the wealthy and to fund inhumane anti-immigrant crackdowns. Together, we March in Peace and Act in Power.
Attorney Daryl Jones, Co-Leader of the Transformative Justice Coalition, a national voting and social justice organization that is leading the “Good Trouble Lives On: The John Lewis National Day of Action,” stated, “While we are excited about the over 1,400 ‘Good Trouble Lives On’ activations through rallies, teach-ins, and/or marches now planned across America’s communities and neighborhoods, we are determined to reach and activate every American impacted by the poorly thought out, poorly calculated, and the horribly callous budget bill passed on our country’s 249th birthday. Whether directly impacted by the current budget or impacted by the numerous unconstitutional and destructive actions of the current regime, we must stand up for our democracy and our fellow Americans. It must be us, ‘We the people,’ that address these defining issues…it must be us, it must be now!”
WHEN:
Thursday, July 17, 2025
4:30 pm-8:00 pm
WHERE:
Feeder marches will travel over the Eastport Bridge, over the Naval Academy Bridge (Md. Rt. 450), and down Main Street; converge at the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial at City Dock; and march together to Lawyer’s Mall (100 State Circle, Annapolis MD 21401) for the 6:30 pm rally.
For more information, or to arrange interviews with organizers or participants, please contact Lynda Davis, 410-790-3128, lyndadvis@aol.com.
Caucus of African American Leaders • P.O. Box 371, Annapolis, MD 21404 • PH: (443) 871-5656 • Email: snowdencarl23@gmail.com
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