We the People Wear the Crown

By Candece Monteil , National Urban League
Published 04 PM EDT, Thu Oct 15, 2026
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Marc H. Morial 
President and CEO
National Urban League


"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."
— Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 2

Many know this line as a metaphor for the weight of leadership in the face of adversity.

Despite the efforts of the White House and its devoted followers, the crown in America belongs to We the People, not the President. Not now and not ever.

To share the burden of this moment, when we must push back against tyranny, the theft of our civil rights, and the destruction of our democracy, I will join the Urban League movement at the No Kings Rally in Atlanta, Georgia, this Saturday, October 17.

We are answering this call, and urging you to answer yours by voting early in this midterm election.

In Georgia, where we're gathering alongside Black Voters Matter, early voting began Monday, October 12. This is our chance to turn months of mobilizing, phone calls, door knocking, and campus canvassing into action before Election Day on November 3.

This is not an election to sit out, and this is not the time to wait.

The President himself has challenged the legitimacy of mail-in ballots, threatening the voting rights of members of the military, the elderly, people with disabilities, and working people who can't always make it to the polls before they close.

The threats don't stop at the post office. Some administration officials have even suggested that immigration enforcement will monitor polls to ensure an "honest election." Even as a suggestion, this is intimidation, and it flirts dangerously with authoritarianism.

Calling voter suppression what it is, and standing united against it, is what No Kings is about.

That is why I am standing in solidarity, lending my voice, and representing this 116-year-old vanguard of freedom in southwest Atlanta this Saturday.

Now is not the time to sit silent while every right we fought for is eroded by a man unworthy of a crown, in a country founded on freedom.

Let's protect our rights and our democracy by saying "No Kings" and by voting.

 
 
 
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