Under a double rainbow and muggy conditions, voters from across the Lehigh Valley gathered with their umbrellas and rally signs at the Bethlehem Rose Gardens July 30 for the second annual Good Trouble Lives On [GTLO] rally to encourage support for Democrats in the midterms this fall, and to remember the legacy of the late congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis. The message of many of the event’s speeches focused on fighting against Donald Trump’s presidency through electing Democratic politicians as a means to “save democracy.”

The event was organized by Indivisible Lehigh Valley Bethlehem as a part of the nationwide GTLO Weekend of Action that was scheduled for July 17-19 to honor Lewis’s passing on July 17, 2020. This year’s theme was “Teach! Reach! Preach!” The event was rescheduled following poor air quality concerns during the Canadian wildfires and faced further challenges, with flashes of rain drizzling onto the crowd as they listened in on the calls to action and chanted in response to the empowering songs led by local gospel singer Kari Holmes. Holmes kept the rhythm of the event, performing between speeches from local Democrat politicians and excerpts from Lewis’s speeches calling for “good trouble, necessary trouble.”

The turnout for this year’s event was low compared to the nearly 400 people who attended last year, attracting only around 50 to come out through the rain. “I think a lot of people probably assumed that we weren’t even going to have it tonight,” said Indivisible LV Bethlehem’s Lead Organizer Brooke McDermott.

U.S. Army veteran and poet Deirdre Van Walters performed a variety of poems focused on love and unity, following a brief introduction from McDermott. “I am from love. We are from love. We are love,” Van Walters said speaking gently into the microphone.

Former Congresswoman Susan Wild followed the poetic performance by reflecting on her experience meeting John Lewis during her time in Congress and the “incredible graciousness,” he showed to everyone working on Capitol Hill. “We could sure use John Lewis right now in Congress,” Wild said.

Lehigh County Executive Josh Siegel followed with a passionate speech motivating voters to welcome those who may have voted for Trump in the past instead of turning them away from a Democratic coalition. “Democracy is built on a courageous act of love,” Siegel said. “It is about choosing to share in kinship and community with all of our neighbors, no matter whether we agree with them all the time or not.”

His closing remark called back to Van Walters’ message of love, saying, “A democracy is built on a community of love and inclusivity. We all come from love.”

An audio message from PA-7 Democratic nominee Bob Brooks was played for the audience, highlighting his promise, if elected in November, to vote for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, a bill floating in Congress now to bolster the former Voting Rights Act in Lewis’s name. Brooks was unable to make it to the rally after rescheduling conflicts with another event, according to Josh Wrigley, a representative from Brooks’ campaign who did attend the rally.

The closing speech was delivered by The Rev. Doctor Greg Edwards, senior pastor at Resurrected Life Church. He warned of the moves to concentrate power by the Trump administration and an obligation to pursue the path of democracy. “Democracy is not merely a political arrangement. It is a moral commitment,” Edwards said. He continued with a call to organize saying, “Elections alone will not save democracy. Political outrage and righteous indignation will not save democracy. Democracy is saved when ordinary, everyday people organize.”

A candlelight vigil followed with Kari Holmes and the other various speakers of the night leading a political rendition of “This Little Light of Mine,” as attendees held up small candles and joined in singing.

Becca Stephens, a voter from Salisbury Township and member of Indivisible LV Bethlehem, shared that she plans to door-knock for the upcoming midterms. “People are hurting,” she said, “and [we are] getting people to understand that there are candidates out there that are gonna fight for them.”

Amid greater concerns with the freedom and fairness of elections this year, Indivisible LV has already made plans to have “poll watching groups” to watch for and track any potential interference from federal law enforcement, according to Lead Organizer Brooke McDermott.

The remembrance of Lewis held greater weight this year after the Supreme Court’s decision in the Louisiana v. Callais case further weakened the Voting Rights Act, a piece of legislation Lewis nearly lost his life fighting for in 1965 during an attack on a voting rights protest he helped lead in Selma, Alabama.

“The Voting Rights Act was gutted by the Supreme Court, which literally put me and most people I knew, pretty much in a coma,” McDermott said regarding the salience of honoring John Lewis this year.

“I’m 64 years old. I would say that in my lifetime this [midterm] is without a question one of the most pivotal elections,” McDermott said. “If we flip the House blue and we get the Senate, we can put the kibosh on so much of the horrible things that are happening.”