Good Trouble Day: Georgia Protests Honor John Lewis

Demonstrators across Georgia held gatherings as part of “Good Trouble Day,” a national day of protest in honor of former civil rights leader and U.S. Rep. John Lewis on Thursday.

In Atlanta, hundreds of demonstrators marched down Auburn Avenue to protest the Trump administration and honor the late Lewis, who represented the area for decades. The march started at a mural of Lewis and concluded with a rally outside Ebenezer Baptist Church, where ACLU Georgia Executive Director Andrea Young said the crowd must continue Lewis’ legacy.

“John Lewis carried a torch across the Edmund Pettus Bridge,” she said, referring to the site of a 1965 civil rights march to Selma, Ala., which was met with violence. “We are still carrying that torch until our multiracial democracy is what he envisioned it to be.”

Meanwhile in Athens, over 150 people gathered for a protest to commemorate Lewis. The name “Good Trouble” borrowed from the famous phrase coined by Lewis, who died in 2020.

Protester Gloria Heard joined the crowd for one reason:

“For good trouble,” she said.

The protesters lined a busy commercial corridor with posters critical of President Donald Trump’s administration.

Michael Call said he wanted to attend the event to honor Lewis.

“I was a little boy when I first saw him,” Call said. “The way he spoke, it inspired me to always keep up the fight. He never did sit down. Having him as that leader made me want to do more and continue to do more.”

No counterprotesters attended the event.

Savannah residents, including Ann Fenstermacher, also held a rally in their city.

“I’m very concerned about Georgia — I think it’s a backward state,” Fenstermacher said at the Good Trouble Lives On protest in her city. “I’m unhappy with the Republican stance on things: giving benefits to rich people and taking benefits away from people who are really in need.”

She added that she thinks the Trump administration “has alienated our allies, has turned the clock back on the United States years and years and years. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to get that momentum back, in every way: environmentally, socially, and the wellbeing of all the people in the United States.”

The demonstrations also marked the five-year anniversary of Lewis’ death.

📜 The First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

What Does it Mean: The First Amendment protects five big freedoms that everyone in the United States has.

These are the five freedoms:

1. Freedom of Religion — You can believe in any religion you want, or not believe in any religion at all. The government can’t force you to believe something or punish you for your beliefs.
2. Freedom of Speech — You can say what you think and share your ideas, even if others don’t agree with you.
3. Freedom of the Press — Newspapers, TV, websites, and reporters can share news and opinions without the government telling them what to say.
4. Freedom to Assemble — You can gather in groups to protest, march, or meet peacefully to talk about things you care about.
5. Freedom to Petition the Government — You can ask the government and government representatives to fix problems or make changes by writing letters, starting petitions, or speaking out in public.

In short, the First Amendment makes sure you can have your own thoughts, share your ideas, and stand up for what you believe — as long as you do it peacefully.

This story comes to The Georgia Sun through a reporting partnership with GPB a non-profit newsroom focused on reporting in Georgia.