The Brandywine Peace Community hosted  a “No Kings” vigil on June 13 in solidarity with the protests that took over streets nationwide on June 14. The vigil was held on Germantown Avenue, outside what is known as the Germantown White House, near School House Lane.

The protest was part of a larger, nationally and internationally recognized organization, the 50501 Movement. The 50501 Movement originated out of a grassroots effort to hold 50 protests in 50 states on one day and has expanded since then. The organization’s mission is based on the principles of nonviolent actions and events that aim to display a defiance to the current administration and its policies, adhering to the motto, “No thrones. No crowns. No kings.”

The vigil drew more than 20 people from different parts of the neighborhood. Although organized by the Brandywine Peace Community, some individuals outside the organization rallied with them.  

“I’m not a part of the Brandywine Peace Community … I just heard about it and it made a lot of sense to choose this location [because] he [George Washington] stepped aside and fought to throw off tyranny and [said] we're not repeating that,” said J.R., a protester who is not officially affiliated with the Brandywine Peace Community yet joined the Germantown protest because they were  undecided as to whether they would be joining the protests that took place in the city on Saturday.

The Germantown White House was the meeting place for President George Washington and his cabinet, and a haven for his troops, shielding them from the yellow fever epidemic that was afflicting the city of Philadelphia. The vigil's location signifies Washington’s values. He remained steadfast amid pressure to become king of the newly established nation. 

Barbara Dowdall, a retired School District of Philadelphia teacher, said she joined the protest to express her pride in Germantown’s history. It hosted the first-ever protest against slavery in 1688, she said, “down by Winter Street.” 

“tt’s a whole bunch of history,” Dowdall said of the neighborhood which includes Historic  Germantown, a consortium of 20 historic locations. George Washington, limiting his term by refusing to become a king, is a “kind of restraint [that] is totally absent in the current administration,” Dowdall said.

The Brandywine Peace Community plans to hold an event titled “Neighborhood ‘REACH-OUT’ for PEACE and an end to the Madness of Trump” on Saturday, June 28, from 10 a.m.-noon. For more information on the Brandywine Peace Community and their upcoming events visit brandywinepeace.com.