WELCOME

After 28 years of service in Arlington County’s local government, first on the School Board and then the County Board, I have stepped into a new role and life chapter: Private Citizen. My career has equipped me with extensive experience, valuable connections, and an unwavering passion for fostering good local government in Arlington and in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia (DMV) region, an area I call home.

June 5 Blog: D-Day, “Rise Up, Sing Out” & More

Dear Friends:

Saturday is the 82nd anniversary of D-Day. On June 6, 1944 soldiers from the US, Britain, and Canada simultaneously landed on 5 separate beaches in Normandy, France to begin the offensive to defeat Nazi Germany. There were 10,000 casualties that day. Over 4,400 allied soldiers died including about 2,500 Americans. The drama of that day has usually felt distant, but what so many soldiers died for, defeating fascism, seems all too real. The courage and sacrifice of those who fought fascism 82 years ago takes on renewed meaning here in the United States in 2026, and celebrating and honoring D-Day feels especially important, since we are dealing with a fascist leader at home.

For that reason, the national Visibility Brigade organization is coordinating banner drops around the country to honor D-Day and remind people of that important fight for democracy. We’ll be out at the Fairlington Bridge from 3:00-5:00 pm on Saturday afternoon, despite the heat, and welcome anyone to join us for some music, flag waving and celebration of the fight against fascism. Also, June is Pride Month. We’ll likely have a Pride flag or two as well.

I am finding the national Visibility Brigade not only a constant source of hope and inspiration, but also a good source of news. I learned first of the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti from the Visibility Brigade teams in Minneapolis. I learned first (and it is still most of what I know) about Delaney Hall from the Visibility Brigade teams in New Jersey. You might want to read this account and analysis of how ICE, the NJ State Police and the local Newark police behaved. It is quite a contrast. Local eyewitness accounts are so important for these major news stories which are not being, in my opinion, adequately covered nationally.

Looking a little further ahead this month, June 14 is the anniversary of the first No Kings protest and it is Flag Day. It is also the President’s birthday which he is celebrating by further desecrating the White House. On Sunday, the 14th, there will be a live-streamed concert. The No Kings Coalition is partnering with the Committee for the First Amendment to create a massive night of localized, relational organizing across the country anchored by “Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment,” held at City Hall in New York and live-streamed at 7:30 p.m. ET, featuring appearances by Jane Fonda, Bette Midler, Rufus Wainwright, and many others.

The No Kings movement will be gathering in living rooms, community centers and local businesses for public and private watch parties in key cities and rural communities alike. No Kings and its many partners are transforming the energy from the streets into sustained local organizing, bringing together neighbors, families, friends, and new allies to build long-term, local collective power and defend our communities against this administration’s ongoing threats.

June is a busy and important month as we continue to build towards the fall midterms. I hope to see many of my readers at an event or two.

Yours in peaceful resistance,

Libby