More than 150 residents gathered on St. Croix Saturday for the No Kings Day Motorcade and Rally, a peaceful, cross-island demonstration that joined a nationwide movement against authoritarianism and in defense of democratic rights. Similar events were held on St. Thomas and St. John.
The local event that was organized as part of a larger grassroots effort spanning all 50 states and more than 2,600 locations brought together community members, activists, and cultural leaders to express solidarity with global and national struggles for justice and equality.
Approximately 60 vehicles participated in the motorcade, which began in Gallows Bay and concluded at Frederiksted Beach, where a rally followed.
According to organizers, the event aimed to raise awareness of the impact of the Trump administration’s policies on the Virgin Islands, while also affirming that, despite their lack of full voting representation, Virgin Islanders still hold the constitutional right to peaceful protest.
“We’re standing to say that the people — especially Virgin Islanders — have a voice, and that voice matters,” said ChenziRa Davis Kahina, one of the event’s organizers. “Virgin Islanders are not complicit nor will remain silent as our human, civil, constitutional, and sacred rights are diminished. In solidarity with movements throughout the U.S., the Caribbean Zone of Peace, and globally, we stand united to proactively acknowledge and demonstrate that the power belongs to We The People.”
Speakers at the rally included Kahina, former Sen. Positive T.A. Nelson, and community advocate Ghadeer Taha, who each reflected on the day’s theme: “No to Tyranny, No to Kings.”
“I look at Gaza every day, I see my family hurting every day — and now I’m seeing it in Venezuela. I say no to wars everywhere,” said Taha, who also criticized federal cuts to local Medicaid programs and the high cost of import taxes. “Why is the Virgin Islands being taxed to import and export anything? Who benefits from any of this? Everybody here is suffering.”
Nelson, who shared a poem titled “America the Beautiful???” and a song composed by his sister, said, “I don’t care if it’s Republican or Democrat, I don’t want no kings.”
