By Carol Lucas
As I sat Monday evening, watching a comprehensive report of all the cities that had participated in last Saturday’s “Hands Off” protests across our country, my literary background kicked in.
For every one of the 32 years that I taught high school English, I taught at least one sophomore class, and that meant teaching the Shakespearean drama, “Julius Caesar.”
In many respects, those protesting on April 5, 2025, aren’t much different from the Romans who protested in 44 B.C. All are and were confronted with political policies they found reprehensible, and the best way to convey their anger and distrust was taking to the streets.
Of course, the Shakespearean play focuses upon the assassination of Caesar who had become consumed by his own ambition. Please let me be very clear: in no way am I advocating for assassination. It is simply the case that there are parallels in the play and today’s political upheaval that appealed to the examination of this drama on my part.
It is Brutus, close friend of Julius Caesar, who speaks the following as he attempts to clarify, indeed justify, the killing of Caesar … for the good of Rome:
“We at the height are ready to decline.
There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat;
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.”
I remembered the above quote in particular as I watched the vast number of protests in every one of our 50 states. I will return to that quote a bit later as I relate it to the necessity of protest.
The “Hands Off!” protests launched across the United States on April 5 has been determined to be the largest one-day, nationwide display of public resistance against the second administration of President Donald Trump.
It was estimated, according to Wikipedia, that 3.3 to 4.6 million people were involved in these marches across the country, making it the largest protest in U.S. history. More than 1,200 events took place across all 50 states, as well as in international cities such as London, Paris and Berlin. Organizers of “Hands Off!” said the protests were a response to what they described as “the most brazen power grab in modern history,” carried out by Trump and Musk.
Small towns, much like Beaufort, had people come forth in numbers that were proportionate to that of large cities. People toted hand-made signs; others had gone to elaborate ends to carry forth the message they wished to convey. Some were hilarious; some were ribald; most were a passionate outpouring of anger and of fear.
The protests were organized by a coalition of more than 150 groups, including 50501, civil rights organizations, labor unions and advocacy groups. Reading this, I was curious what 50501 was all about. Up till now, I had no knowledge of the group.
This is a grassroots coalition that previously held nationwide demonstrations under its mantra, “50 protests. 50 states. 1 movement,” including on February 4. They also organized a “No Kings Day” protest on February 17, as well as a third demonstration opposing Trump on March 4.
This same group is promoting nationwide protests in all 50 states on the same day against the Trump administration on April 19, stating, “This demonstration will be to protest against a ‘hostile government takeover’ overseen by the Trump administration.”
In social media posts, the group stated that they want 3.5 percent of the US population — more than 11 million people — to participate. They cite this figure as the threshold for “sustained resistance in order to make a difference.”
One former police officer who took part in New York on April 5 said this to Newsweek magazine: “This is what we’re standing out here in the cold for. This is what we’re getting fallen arches and stiff backs for — and I think it’s important. [The protest is] an extension of the lawlessness of the Trump regime.”
Further details about the scope and logistics of the April 19 protests are expected to be released in the coming days.
And so, going back in time to 44 BC and the plea that Brutus put forth. He challenges the crowd, saying that anyone who loves his freedom must make a stand. He laments the status of Rome at that time, saying “We are at the height and ready to decline.” Ask yourself if this is the case with our country. If so, can we prevent that decline by making our voices heard?
Are we at the point of “flood” which can lead us on to fortune? Or if we fail at this point, will we be “bound in shallows and miseries?” And of what, exactly, will those miseries be composed?
Furthermore, if we don’t “take the current when it serves,” what will history have to say when we “lose our ventures?”
This passage presents a complex concept of the interplay between free will and fate. There are so many red flags out there that suggest what we must do if we are to retain our democracy, thereby exercising our right (our free will) to protest. Can we, through our determination, thwart our present government, in what is beginning to look like tyrannical overtake?
Here, Brutus conceives of life as influenced by both fate and free will: human beings must be shrewd enough to recognize when fate offers them an opportunity and bold enough to take advantage of it.
While I believe there is a plan for us, conceived by a greater force in the universe, I don’t believe that plan strips us of the right to choose. It is contingent upon us to choose wisely, to move on to the “fortune” of life, liberty, and a continued pursuit of happiness.
