In what is being reported as the largest protest in U.S. history, with at least four million people participating in over 2,100 rallies and marches nationwide, Episcopal bishops joined “No Kings” events in their respective dioceses to voice disapproval of the Trump administration’s policies.
Describing herself in a Facebook post as a “middle-aged suburban mother of three” who on June 14 “demonstrates in support of democracy,” Bishop Betsey Monnot of Iowa held a sign reading “Liberty and Justice for All” in red, white, and blue, with the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines in the background. “This is so very not radical,” she wrote. “I could hardly be more American.”
“It’s in the Pledge of Allegiance,” Monnot told TLC. She said the idea also appears in the Baptismal Covenant, in which Episcopalians “promise to strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being. We promise to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves.”
Monnot said what is happening in the country today is “so far beyond what is okay,” and she feels compelled as both an Episcopal leader and an American to speak up.
“I want to support them in standing up and expressing the values of the Kingdom of God,” she said of those she joined in protest. “That’s our fundamental allegiance. We simply cannot be silent about this.”
In Brighton, a town in upstate New York five hours from Manhattan, Bishop Kara Wagner Sherer of Rochester shared photos on her personal profile from a local rally. “Found like-minded folks, Roman Catholic nuns, and Episcopalians in the wonderful, spirited, and diverse crowd of protesters,” Wagner Sherer wrote. “No violence, just lots of supporting honks!”
Wagner Sherer told TLC she was there on personal time. “I was going as a Christian, an Episcopal bishop, to support the folks I knew from the diocese who were present,” she said. “I wanted to attend the No Kings rally because as Christians we proclaim that only Jesus is Lord. We don’t want other people proclaiming themselves as lord and king.”
The Rochester bishop explained that many of America’s founding fathers were Episcopalians who helped shape a democracy that rejected monarchy. “Many of those principles are based on our Constitution and Declaration of Independence,” she said.
“We are using the moral compass that they had as Christians, as Episcopalians, that really shaped our nation,” she added. “And the current administration is going away from our founding ideals and indeed sometimes violating the Constitution.” She said she’s aware not everyone in her diocese may agree with the rally, saying, “I understand their concerns as well.”
In a Facebook post by St. Dunstan’s Church in Dover, Massachusetts, the parish said that over 300 Episcopalians participated in the joint Pride–No Kings Parade in Boston, including Bishop Julia Whitworth of Massachusetts. The Rev. Liz Steinhauser, a priest from the Cathedral of St. Paul in Boston and lead organizer of the diocesan ministry The Crossing, helped bring parishioners and leaders together for the event.
Massachusetts leaders and parishioners wore T-shirts with the Episcopal Church’s Pride shield. The front read “Queerly Beloved,” and the back said, “God’s Got Your Back.”
On the West Coast, in the Central California city of Salinas, Bishop Lucinda Ashby of El Camino Real shared a picture on social media showing that more than 1,000 people protested peacefully. Over half of Salinas’ population is Hispanic—the demographic hardest hit by immigration raids, which some have called inhumane and unconstitutional.
Wagner Sherer also traveled to Corning, New York, to attend a Pride Parade in an official capacity the same day as the “No Kings” protest. She offered a prayer for the nation during a time when many see the government’s actions as unprecedented.
“My prayer is that we continue to worship God and participate in the God Project, which I call bringing the reign of Christ to the world,” she told TLC. “That’s my prayer, and we can all do that as citizens.”
The June 14 protests occurred while President Trump, his cabinet, and supporters were in Washington, D.C., celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army with a military parade. The day also marked the president’s 79th birthday.
The “No Kings” rallies were organized by the nonprofit 50501, which stands for 50 states, 50 protests, 1 movement. According to its website, 50501 is a national movement of everyday Americans who stand for democracy and oppose authoritarian actions by the Trump administration.
The movement has two demands: uphold the Constitution and end executive overreach.
The June 14 protests came at a time when immigration raids in Los Angeles drew widespread condemnation. President Trump had reportedly deployed Marines and National Guard troops without California Governor Gavin Newsom’s consent.
50501 issued a clear directive that “violence of any kind will not be tolerated” at its rallies. Still, the peaceful posture didn’t prevent harm to participants. In Salt Lake City, a man dressed in black and armed with an AR-15-style rifle shot and killed a protester during a “No Kings” rally.
On the same day in Minnesota, a state legislator and her husband were killed in what authorities are investigating as a targeted assassination. The Rt. Rev. Craig J. Loya, Bishop of Minnesota, issued a statement on the tragedy.
Caleb Maglaya Galaraga is The Living Church’s Episcopal Church reporter. His work has also appeared in Christianity Today, Broadview Magazine, and Presbyterian Outlook, among other publications.
