As the U.S. marks the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding, Quakers, activists, veterans, and people of conscience are joining together for a Philadelphia People’s Parade to protest authoritarianism and injustice. The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) – A Quaker organization founded in Philadelphia in 1917 – is joining the march with a “Declaration of Resistance,” which will be signed near Independence Mall, the same location where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776.
The Quaker contingent will convene at the historic Arch Street Meeting House (3:20 Arch Street) at 8:30am on July 4. They will then walk with banners, signs, and the declaration of resistance to Washington Square Park to join the People’s Parade. The parade will begin from that location at 9:30am.
“Everyone should be able to exercise their basic rights and freedoms without fear of retribution, or harm” said Laura Boyce, Associate General Secretary for AFSC. “But in the U.S. and around the world, authoritarianism is on the rise and people are suffering. It is up to all of us to come together to protect our communities, resist through collective action, and build a just and equitable world."
In 2026, the Trump Administration started an unprovoked war with Iran, bombed civilians off the coast of Latin America, conducted mass immigration raids in cities, towns and workplaces, killed people for filming or protesting ICE agents, and undermined civil liberties and human rights in unprecedented ways. The Philadelphia Declaration of Resistance is part of a coordinated national day of action, with satellite vigils, events, and silent worship in dozens of cities and towns across the country. Full event list is available here.
“In the tradition of Quakers who worked to abolish slavery, intervened in the internment of Japanese Americans, and marched for civil and workers’ rights, AFSC and our interfaith partners are calling on people of conscience to sign our Declaration of Resistance this Fourth of July,” said Mary Zerkel, Midwest Regional Director for AFSC. “This is the opening activity of a campaign that will offer people training, support, and actions for nonviolent resistance.”
The People’s Parade is sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee, Vets Against Fascism, Mennonite Action, No Ice Philadelphia, JVP Philadelphia, Rama Circle, Asian Americans United, Philadelphia Council AFL -CIO, Philadelphia Democratic Socialists of America, WOOFI Center, Juntos, Singing Resistance Philly, POWER, Philadelphia Tenants Union, and New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia.
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The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) promotes a world free of violence, inequality, and oppression. Guided by the Quaker belief in the divine light within each person, we nurture the seeds of change and the respect for human life to fundamentally transform our societies and institutions. We work with people and partners worldwide, of all faiths and backgrounds, to meet urgent community needs, challenge injustice, and build peace.