On Saturday, large protests took place across the U.S. against Trump administration policies.
In one small corner of the rural Northern Neck of Virginia, several hundred people marched on Main Street in Kilmarnock.
Protesters started out from a local bookshop, snaked past the volunteer fire department, the local supermarket, and a block of vacant buildings that never recovered from a a fatal fire years ago. Many of the protesters were seniors, some with walkers and canes, one in a wheelchair.
And many like Carolyn Gorman, are worried about the economy and their retirement income. "I’ve taken all my money and put it into cash. I don’t want to put any money at risk," Gorman admitted, "which is not good for this country when people do what I’ve just done."
Joe Thompson and his wife Nanette were not as lucky. "I lost 10% of my stock savings this week. And it’s too late to take it out," Joe Thompson said.
Watching from outside their antique store were Lewis Trimble and his mother Leigh. They depend on tourists and people with vacation homes here. "Last month was one of our worst months in the last couple of years," Lewis Trimble said. "This month’s not looking any better. Luckily, we have an online presence so that helps. Change just creates uncertainty and people are holding on to their money."
"And people have lost their jobs and if they don’t have jobs how can they buy anything," Leah Trimble added.
Protesters gathered behind the historic Lancaster Union Masonic Lodge and heard from Pastor Tyron Williams of Mount Olive Baptist Church in Heathsville. "Truth, honor and integrity seems to no longer be required in this administration, and accountability a thing of the past," Williams told them.
Similar protests took place in many locations in Virginia, including Roanoke, Charlottesville, Richmond and Fredericksburg.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.