“I got out of the Army in 1965, right before the big buildup in Vietnam. I immediately became a veteran against the war and a part of Veterans for Peace. I lived in Detroit and became active in the Civil Rights movement. I am 82 and I have been a part of marches all of my life.

My wife, Diane, and I have been to at least 50 marches. We like the camaraderie of like-minded folks. Being here today is invigorating after staying home for COVID.

I was one of 500,000 at the Poor People’s March in 1968. It was a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I remember it like it was yesterday. We were holding hands by the Washington Monument listening to Peter, Paul and Mary sing Bob Dylan’s song The Times They Are A-Changing. Things were changing then, but the struggle never ends.

We boarded a train in Hattiesburg and went to some of the cities for the Occupy movements: Chicago, Portland, Los Angeles, San Antonio, and Austin. It was good to meet the young people and see their energy.

We also boarded the train and went to the Women’s March in 2016. We got off and walked to the Capitol. We marched, then got on the train and came back home.

I am a first-generation American. My father was from Sweden and my mother was from Scotland. They met in Detroit. They were the typical American immigrant story. He worked for General Motors for 40 years.

We were taught in civics that you have a responsibility in a democracy to ensure the democracy lives and stays. It’s our duty to participate and to make our voices heard. That’s what I’ve been doing all my life.

We are facing threats to democracy, so we do what we’ve always done and fight the good fight.”