{"id":387423,"date":"2026-01-21T17:47:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T23:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=387423"},"modified":"2026-01-21T17:47:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T23:47:13","slug":"cronkite-news-protests-arrive-on-anniversary-of-donald-trumps-inauguration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2026\/01\/21\/cronkite-news-protests-arrive-on-anniversary-of-donald-trumps-inauguration\/","title":{"rendered":"Cronkite News: Protests arrive on anniversary of Donald Trump’s inauguration"},"content":{"rendered":"\"Free<\/a>
Protesters march around the Arizona Capitol during the Free America Walkout on January 20, 2026, in Phoenix. The nationwide movement coincided with the one-year mark since President Donald Trump was inaugurated the second time. Photo by Sydney Lovan \/ Cronkite News <\/figcaption>\r\n
Nationwide walkout over Trump brings hundreds to Arizona Capitol<\/div>\r\n
Wednesday, January 21, 2026<\/div>\r\n
By Gabrielle Wallace <\/div>\r\n
Cronkite News<\/DIV>\r\n
cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n

<\/P>\r\n

PHOENIX — Over the last year, the United States has seen protests across the country denouncing the Trump administration, its immigration policies and more. On the one-year anniversary of Trump\u2019s inauguration, protesters didn\u2019t show any signs of letting up.<\/p>\r\n

Shrouded in the shade of the State Capitol, high school students, teachers, parents, retirees and immigrants gathered in red, white and blue; inflatable blowup costumes; and colonial attire \u2013 with determination on their faces \u2013 in a walkout on Tuesday to protest the Trump administration and what they characterized as its draconian policies.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Attendees gathered just before 2 p.m. Tuesday, exactly a year after President Donald Trump\u2019s second inauguration. They chanted in a call-and-response: \u201cShow me what democracy looks like. This is what democracy looks like.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

The crowd shared chants and poems, then began its march \u2013 a lap around the Arizona Capitol. Protesters of different ages,\u00a0races and ethnicities\u00a0joined to speak out against Trump, ICE and other political points of contention. Roughly 200 people met at the Capitol to \u201cwalk away from fascism\u201d and \u201cwalk towards a free America.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\"Nasir<\/a>

Nasir Raza hugs another protester after speaking to the group during the Free America Walkout at the Arizona Capitol on January 20, 2026. Multiple people approached Raza to thank him for his bravery and inspirational words. Photo by Sydney Lovan \/ Cronkite News <\/figcaption>

<\/P>\r\n

The protesters circled the Capitol several times, with some taking breaks in between laps.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

After trekking from school on the light rail, students from Central High School arrived just before 3 p.m. The crowd cheered and its chants rose in volume, growing louder and louder as the students, signs in hand, approached.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

\u201cA bunch of my friends are Hispanic, and I just want to come out here to support them against ICE. What is happening right now is just crazy and it\u2019s unacceptable,\u201d said Kim Byrd, a senior at Central High School.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

After an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota, anti-ICE and anti-Trump protests have increased throughout that state. Good was shot amid the deployment of 2,000 federal agents to Minneapolis in what the agency called a crack down on immigration. Part of the action included sending ICE agents into Minneapolis schools \u2013 a thought that has Byrd concerned for her own classmates in Phoenix.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cICE going into schools, the stuff happening in Minnesota, like it\u2019s out of control, and this should not be happening,\u201d Byrd added.<\/p>\r\n

The Central High School students weren\u2019t the only protesters walking away from school for the day. Two high school history teachers from another school, Megan Urquidez and Bianca Lewis, also joined the rally at the Capitol after walking out of their own classes for the day.<\/p>\r\n\"Nasir<\/a>

Nasir Raza, an immigrant from Pakistan, speaks to a group of protesters during the Free America Walkout at the Arizona Capitol on January 20, 2026, in Phoenix. Photo by Sydney Lovan \/ Cronkite News <\/figcaption>\r\n

<\/P>\r\n

\u201cI feel like as a teacher and a parent, this is about the time to jump in and kind of be that example for our kids,\u201d Urquidez said. \u201cAnd not only for the little ones we have at home but for the older kids we have in high school right now that are all kind of questioning what\u2019s going on and trying to figure themselves out in the process.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Byrd will graduate in May, but as she figures out the next chapter of her life, she said she won\u2019t stop fighting against the Trump administration and in particular its aggressive immigrant removal policies.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to keep going to protest, keep going to events to show this representation because it\u2019s not for just my people, it\u2019s for Hispanics. I want to be there for Hispanic people,\u201d Byrd said.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Recent immigration crackdowns and escalations in Minnesota inspired Byrd to take action on Tuesday afternoon. The thought of being harmed, let alone killed, just for protesting was \u201ccrazy,\u201d Byrd said. That was\u00a0just one of the many reasons that compelled her to leave the classroom and head to the Capitol.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

There were seasoned veteran protesters voicing their anger at the direction of the country in the second Trump administration as well as the youth.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t my first protest,\u201d said Terry Hakes, a 79-year-old from Minnesota who was at the Arizona protest. \u201cAnd I will continue to protest.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\"Dianna<\/a>

Dianna Samuels, left; Kai Samuels; and Wesley Peacock join hands in unity during the Free America Walkout at the Arizona Capitol on January 20, 2026, in Phoenix. Samuels left work to join her child, Kai, at the protest. \u201cI\u2019m proud to have a child who has really strong beliefs and stands up for what\u2019s right and what she believes,\u201d said Samuels. Photo by Sydney Lovan \/ Cronkite News <\/figcaption>\r\n

<\/P>\r\n

Zachary Cohen, 20, shared Hakes\u2019 enthusiasm for keeping up the pressure on the administration. Tuesday marked Cohen\u2019s second-ever protest, but he said he would continue to protest until Trump \u201cis eventually kicked out of the chair.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Cohen dressed in colonial attire \u2014 specifically like George Washington, because Washington was a \u201ctrue hero.\u201d Cohen\u2019s sign read \u201creal patriots help everyone,\u201d but Cohen noted that \u201cTrump has done nothing but help himself.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Cohen was not alone in invoking the country\u2019s founding at\u00a0 the rally. Protesters speaking to the crowd defiantly pointed to the Declaration of Independence as a counter to what they said was dangerous overreach by the Trump administration.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

For Urquidez and Lewis, the two history teachers, the current presidency has filled their jobs with a sense of urgency. They said they have been able to draw from real-life examples for the lessons they teach their students \u2013 and hope to inspire them with.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cRight now, it is an interesting time because the unit of study is the American Revolution and being able to draw those comparisons for our kids has become kind of more realistic,\u201d Urquidez said. \u201cSo in the past you just say, \u2018here\u2019s what happened,\u2019 without having the context to really draw on for them. So I think now is a really crazy time to be teaching something that seems a lot closer to home right now.\u201d<\/p>\r\nFor more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A>.<\/STRONG>\r\n

<\/P>\r\n

This article<\/a> first appeared on Cronkite News<\/a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n