Five people.

Five brave (and fed up) people in Oskaloosa, Kansas, participated in Free State Days last weekend, representing one of 26 cities across the state that organized events in defense of democracy.

In Cherokee County, residents met in Weir, Kansas, and drove their road rally through seven towns. In Overland Park, close to 700 people gathered to hear speakers about the impact this administration is having on their lives.

For us Kansans, this weekend was about both the future and the past. We gathered to remind our elected officials of our legacy as a Free State. In fact, abolitionist John Brown fought the pro-slavery troops not far from Oskaloosa during what’s known as Bleeding Kansas. In the 1950s, we fought for desegregation with Brown vs Board of Education. And after Roe was overturned, we became the first state to vote in support of keeping reproductive healthcare safe, legal and private.

We gathered to remind our elected officials of the battles Kansans have waged in support of freedom —- and to urge them to do the same.