For his reflective essay after participating in DukeEngage DC – Democracy at Risk, Leo Goldberg T’28 won the Courage and Adaptability category in the 2025 DukeEngage Reflection Challenge.
Judges found it especially powerful that Leo’s DukeEngage experience prompted deep reflections about his own role in upholding democratic values, and inspired courageous acts even before the program ended.
Each day I walked to work at PEN America, my community partner in Washington DC, I passed by a grand statue of General George Henry Thomas. Perched valiantly on horseback and staring solemnly towards the South, the direction from which his military opponents would approach, George Henry Thomas was a Union general during the American Civil War, responsible for securing a crucial military victory over the Confederates at the Battle of Chickamauga. His equestrian facade decorates Thomas Circle with strength and pomp, but also serves as a sobering reminder of our nation’s history. His presence reminded me daily of the colossal struggle required to make political and moral progress, and the necessity of fighting against injustice and tyranny when they threaten to undermine democratic foundations.
As part of the Democracy at Risk cohort in Washington DC, I consistently thought about my own role within this framework of upholding the democratic values, which have held fast in our country since its inception. This past summer was particularly salient for thinking about such issues, as the fatal combination of gross despotism and gross incompetence of the current presidential administration insidiously eroded these very foundations. Over the last 7 months, my DukeEngage peers and I witnessed anti-democratic political aberrations take hold in the form of manipulative congressional redistricting efforts, silencing of political opposition, unchecked use of police and military force against citizens, and the disregard of due process. Such alarming actions were prone to evoke feelings of helplessness and disillusionment, exactly as they are intended to do. But for myself, and for many of my peers, it also evoked a profound sense of purpose and determination.
While we were in DC, President Trump announced his plans to hold a massive, North Korean-style military parade on June 14th to commemorate his birthday. I knew that I was not going to remain silent as the esteemed title of US president was debauched by a vain attempt to compensate for personal and political insecurities, and recognized that the privilege I had been granted to be spending a fully-paid summer in DC was also imbued with a sense of responsibility to uphold the values of the program itself: the protection and promotion of democracy. The blatant show of military force to solidify the position of the president as a strongman was the exact type of undemocratic display which, to me, the program was meant to fight against.
As it happened, in response to the military parade, a nationwide day of protest called “No Kings,” was materializing to demonstrate Americans’ objection to such gaudy, hollow displays of power. In my view, there is nothing more democratic or patriotic than protesting against that which is wrong, and I knew I wanted to be a part of any demonstrated objection to the military parade. Thus, I, along with my friend and fellow DukeEngage cohort member, Alyssa, bought supplies to decorate protest signs, and prepared to show what American democracy was really all about.
On June 14th, Alyssa and I spent virtually the entire day protesting in multiple different locations. We began around noon in Logan Circle, attending an anti-fascist rally where we congregated alongside hundreds of our fellow Americans to protest the anti-democratic actions of the Trump administration. The event culminated with a march to the White House, where we peacefully illustrated our dissent. We continued by taking the metro to Alexandria, VA, just outside of DC. There, we joined over 1,000 protestors and marched down Alexandria’s beautiful and historic old town. Afterwards, we proceeded to Arlington, VA, where we lined Langston Blvd alongside hundreds of other protestors. At each of these locations, Alyssa and I witnessed thousands of patriotic Americans showing what true democracy looked like. Not distasteful displays of military excess, or narcissistic birthday bashes for the dear leader, but ordinary people expressing their discontent with an unpopular government. That day filled me with profound hope and determination for our country, and demonstrated that Americans would not allow the cruel and incompetent actions of the presidential administration to define their values.
“While it is meaningful and important to protest alongside those who agree with you and feel as you do, it is arguably more important to express your dissent among those who are hostile to your opinions.”
While it is meaningful and important to protest alongside those who agree with you and feel as you do, it is arguably more important to express your dissent among those who are hostile to your opinions. It is for that reason that Alyssa and I ended our day by attending not another protest filled with those who shared our views, but by going to the military parade itself. After finishing our trifecta of protests, we took the metro back into DC and went to the National Mall where the parade was held. We walked humbly with our signs through the security checkpoints and marched just the two of us throughout the crowd, holding signs in protest of the parade.
The hostility we felt from the crowd around us was at times palpable, and we endured a fair amount of profanity and vulgarity from those who disagreed with our message. But what surprised me most was the quiet support we received from many in the audience as well. As we walked with our signs displayed in front of us, a man sitting under the Washington monument called out to us. We turned to him, expecting to receive another angry rant. Instead, he gave us a shy thumbs up and quietly encouraged us to continue doing what we were doing. I was reminded in that moment that, though not everyone may feel comfortable or able to protest as openly as Alyssa and I were lucky enough to be able to, they still care deeply about their country, and about the issues that matter to them.
Each day when I walked to work and saw the statue of George Henry Thomas, I was reminded that progress is not always pretty, and that political disagreement takes courage and fortitude. Alyssa and I’s whirlwind day of protest was a prime example of that. But it was also an example that the democratic act of protesting and fighting for a better country is always worth it, and it was deeply moving to see millions of other Americans across the nation on that day who felt the same as well. While I learned substantially about democratic values through DukeEngage via working with my community partner and attending organized events, I learned even more through the act of actually living democracy in real time, which was the greatest lesson in purpose and determination I could have learned while immersing myself in the Democracy at Risk cohort.