Take Back the Flag Day in Seneca Falls 6/14/26

 This press release went to local media.

In sync with thousands of “Take Back the Flag” protests nationwide, a crowd of local residents lined up along Seneca Falls’ main street on June 14th – despite the rain – to celebrate Flag Day and Pride Month and to protest Trump’s policies on his 80th birthday.

Nicole Tedesche of FLX ROAR Feminist Group had invited three neighboring grassroots groups to co-host the event with her: Indivisible Seneca, Indivisible Cayuga County, and Wayne Action for Racial Equality (WARE). Collectively they have several thousand local members who are all volunteers. For over a year Nicole, who grew up in Seneca Falls, has organized protests nearly every Saturday afternoon in the same spot – in front of Women’s Rights National Historical Park. “This tyranny won’t stop Americans,” she said. “We The People are resisting to defend our Constitution and country. End the war on women!” 

Thomas Bjorkman of Varick is a steering member of Indivisible Seneca. Their website focuses on rural concerns that are not being addressed by current leaders. “Rural people respect the flag and what it stands for,” he said, “and we are sad to see it misused by those who are harming America. We need to take it back so that it again stands for doing right by the country. Seneca Falls is a great place to show the colors on this Flag Day.”  

Joey Young of Williamson NY, Community Organizer for WARE, also felt it was important to attend this rally. “In this time of great division, hate, and attacks on democracy,” he said, “it is imperative that people from every walk of life -- regardless of race, sexuality, political affiliation, or background — not let these calls go answered, but instead answer them with advocacy and empathy for our neighbors because we are stronger together and love is love.” 

Since April 2025, the groups participating in the event have been organizing protests in their own areas  – Auburn, Sodus, Ovid, and Seneca Falls, to name a few – with their biggest turnouts occurring on nationwide action dates like “No Kings” days last June and October. Indivisible, which began in 2017 in opposition to Trump’s policies during his first term, has expanded into a growing grassroots network of millions of volunteers with chapters in every state. Its name derives from the Pledge of Allegiance (“... indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”). As Jan Quarles, an Ovid resident and steering member of Indivisible Seneca asks, “Are we really Red vs Blue, or are we the working people vs the billionaires?” Indivisible is nonpartisan, promoting democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law, regardless of party affiliation. For more information, visit Indivisible.org; find the event’s host and co-hosts on Facebook; or email IndivisibleSeneca@gmail.com .