GLENDALE, Calif. — Nancy Kent leaned on her cane, standing for hours in the heat along a busy Glendale street, as cars passed and horns occasionally sounded in support.
At 78, the lifelong Glendale resident said she could have stayed home. Instead, she joined hundreds of others at a “No Kings” protest aimed at President Donald Trump and his supporters.
“Oh, protesting Trump. All Republicans who support Trump,” Kent said matter-of-factly, when asked why she came out.
For Kent, activism is nothing new. She said she has spent much of her life speaking out, though not always as frequently in recent years. Still, she described this moment as different — and urgent.
“I’ve been protesting for a long time. Various places,” she said. “Not so much anymore, but yeah — this is essential.”
The demonstration in Glendale was part of a broader wave of coordinated protests that drew millions across the United States and Europe, according to organizers. For Kent, that scale is part of the point.
“When people come out in the millions, then even the corporate news media pays attention,” she said. “They mention it.”
But her focus, she said, is not just on the present — it’s on the future.
“My mind just jumps to the people who are young right now,” Kent said. “They’re growing up with this, and have their future like this, not knowing what it was like to have things look a bit hopeful like in the 1960s.”
Kent came of age during a period defined by mass protests, civil rights struggles and opposition to the Vietnam War. She said today’s political climate feels even more alarming.
“It just seems much, much worse,” she said. “We were horrified back then with the war in Vietnam and everything, but this Iran war — and everything the orange monster is doing — every day there’s a new horror in this nightmare.”
Despite the heat and her limited mobility, Kent remained on the sidewalk, surrounded by younger demonstrators holding signs and chanting. She said their presence — and their anger — is understandable.
“The younger generation is very angry at what is going on,” she said. “And they should be.”
Kent acknowledged that others have taken even greater risks in protest, pointing to actress and activist Jane Fonda.
“She puts me to shame,” Kent said with a small laugh. “She’s out there getting arrested. I’ve never done that. She’s got more guts than I have.”
Still, Kent’s presence — standing for hours with a cane under the sun — reflected what she described as a simple but necessary act: showing up.
For those who feel their voice or vote does not matter, she said, participation is critical.
As the protest continued around her, Kent stayed in place, one of many but also a reminder of the generations that have marched before — and why, she believes, people must keep doing it.
