Across from the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Decatur, a group of protesters gather each week holding signs with calls to “save the CDC” and “reclaim democracy.”
Their demands are not unlike those of other protests aimed against President Donald Trump’s recent cuts to public health agencies, immigration policies and increases in trade tariffs. What sets this group apart, however, is the amount of visible gray hair in the group.
Members refer to themselves as the “Clairmont Progressives,” around 100 retired senior citizens who lobby, register voters and hold vigils. Every Monday, anywhere from 15 to 30 of the members collect their posters, walkers and canes to rally along Clairmont Road.
Anne Hughes, 92, coordinates the group. Hughes said she first noticed a need for the gatherings in 2017, the year that Trump took office for his first term. She invited a handful of retired friends to her condo to discuss news of the day. Soon after, the group began meeting every month to write postcards for candidates, listen to speakers and keep updated on current affairs.
In 2020, they began protesting on the street in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
“We said: ‘That’s a good way to let our voices be heard,’” Hughes said. “Most of us are obviously older and we don’t get around as well as we used to. We can’t just run down to the Capitol, or march or something like that like we used to, so we try to do the things that we can.”
Passing cars honk in support as the seniors hold signs that read: “No King”; “Save Medicaid”; and “Fight Truth Decay.” The group includes a member who is 99 years old.
“We’re very concerned about the situation now and what’s happening to our democracy,” Hughes said.
The Clairmont Progressives aren’t the only seniors engaging in political advocacy. Across Atlanta, elderly citizens are taking collective action in other groups to make their stances on Trump’s second term clear.
Vinings residents Jean and Bill Millkey in 2023 joined Third Act, an organization that seeks to gather individuals over age 60 to advocate for climate action and democracy. Jean Millkey, 71, said she has seen an increase in the number of elderly adults protesting in recent months, driven in part by anxiety over health care policy.
“Right now, our Medicare, Medicaid and taxes — because most of us aren’t in that billionaire class — are at stake,” Millkey said. “It really impacts our pocketbook as well.”
While data indicates that individuals younger than 40 are more likely to engage in political protest, local seniors say they won’t be left out.
“Retirement isn’t just sitting back, watching TV, traveling and doing our own thing,” Jean Millkey said. “Way too many of us are very concerned about how we leave the world to our children and grandchildren.”
Bill Millkey said that elder Atlanta citizens, many of whom grew up amid demonstrations against the Vietnam War, have also turned to protests as a way to find fellowship.
“Protests are actually a lot of fun,” Bill Millkey said. “You’re in a community of like-minded people.”
Indivisible Cobb, an anti-Trump group based in Cobb County, has also seen more senior citizens get involved in recent months. The organization hosts frequent demonstrations at Marietta Square and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.
In May, some members of Indivisible Cobb participated in a “Death of Democracy Die-In” at Piedmont Park. Elderly protesters dressed in black and held posters in the shape of headstones, symbolically mourning federally grant funding.
Barbara Coley, co-founder of the Indivisible Cobb chapter, said swings in the stock market from tariff policies have hit senior incomes hard, and elders are reengaging with political causes they may have not had time for while raising families or working.
“My personal income has dropped $1,300 a month,” Coley said. “The stock market’s down, and I’m not earning as much.”
This Saturday, senior citizens and others in the Atlanta area are expected to once again steer protests for “No Kings Day,” a nationwide movement to counter Trump’s planned military parade in Washington, D.C. The protests will coincide with Flag Day, the anniversary of the first national flag, and the president’s 79th birthday.
The planned protests fall on the heels of recent anti-ICE demonstrations across the country. The demonstration in Atlanta turned violent on Buford Highway Tuesday night when police fired tear gas at protesters who refused to disperse, and protesters hurled canisters back at police along with fireworks. Six people were arrested.
“One of the things about aging is that you realize, ‘I don’t have much time,’” Coley said. “‘If I’m going to make a change, I’ve got to do it now.’”
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