We Stopped Talking About Building Power. We Built It.
Freedom Over Fascism: Vets March on Philly Photo Essay
By Katie Chorbak
President, 50501 Veterans
I’m still trying to process everything that happened in Philadelphia this Fourth of July, the 250th Anniversary of the Founding of our Nation.
I’ve been part of a lot of actions over the years. I’ve organized events, stood in crowds, spoken from podiums, worked to bring people together.
But the Freedom Over Fascism: Vets March on Philly felt different. Much, much different. It wasn’t just another protest. It wasn’t just another march.
Quite simply, it was one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever been part of.
For years, veterans have talked about building power together. We’ve all had the same conversations. How do we stop operating in silos? How do we bring organizations together? How do we make our collective voice louder than any one of us could ever be on our own?
What Leadership Looks Like
On July 4th, we stopped talking about it. We built it. And that didn’t happen by accident.
It took seven organizations all coming together:
Looking back, I think that’s what I’m most grateful for. You always think you’re a good organizer until you meet better organizers. Every organization in this coalition humbled me. Not because they told me I was wrong, but because they showed me there was always another way to serve, another way to organize, another way to build. There wasn’t a room full of people competing for credit. Every meeting came back to the same questions:
“What do you need?”
“How can I help?”
“How do we make this better?”
That’s leadership. Every organization made every other organization, and the action as a whole, stronger.
I especially want to thank Rebecca, Jessica, and Matt from About Face. Over the last several months you’ve taught us all so much, from coalition building to art builds and the countless details that make organizing successful. Those are lessons we’ll carry back to our own communities, and we’ll pass them on to someone else.
Because that’s how movements grow. Not by protecting knowledge. By sharing it.
What Solidarity Looks Like
But what happened on July 4th was bigger than even those seven organizations. When we came to Philadelphia, we didn’t come thinking we had all the answers. We came knowing there were people who had been organizing in that city for years. People who knew their neighborhoods, knew their communities, and had earned trust through years of hard work.
Our responsibility wasn’t to take over. It was to stand beside them.
This Independence Day, we marched with labor organizers, union members, workers, Quakers, ICE Out, feminist organizations, military families, faith leaders, and local community groups who have been carrying this work long before we arrived.
We weren’t there to replace anyone. We were there to add our voices to theirs. I hope that’s one of the things people remember. Freedom Over Fascism wasn’t a veterans movement standing alone. It was veterans joining a larger movement of people who all believe this country CAN be better.
That’s what solidarity looks like.
Another thing I haven’t stopped thinking about is the amount of trust people placed in one another. We had veterans fly in from Missouri, Florida, North Carolina, New York, and across the country.
Think about what that means. Imagine calling someone and saying, “I need you here.” Not giving them a detailed plan. Not explaining every logistical detail. Just saying, “Trust me.”
And they buy a plane ticket. They get in their car. They take a train. They van pool. They spend their own money. They leave their families. They show up in a city they’ve never visited because they trust the people who called for them to stand by their side.
That kind of trust isn’t something you can manufacture. It’s built over years of showing up for one another. It’s built because veterans know the person to their left and to their right isn’t going to leave them behind. That’s something I’ll never take for granted.
I also want to recognize our military families and our supporters. Not everyone marching beside us in Philadelphia served. Some never wore the uniform. But they built signs beside us. They organized beside us. They marched beside us. Because they believe veterans still have something important to say.
That support means more than I can put into words.
I especially want to thank Pat Alviso from Military Families Speak Out. Pat, your leadership, your courage, and your heart inspire all of us. I hope one day I’m half the organizer you are.
We’re Only Just Getting Started
I’ve also been reflecting on this past year and a half, since we launched 50501 Veterans to fight these fascists. It’s been messy. It’s been exhausting. It’s been frustrating. There were moments when I wondered whether any of this was making a difference.
July 4th in Philadelphia answered that question. With a resounding HELL YEAH!
Standing beside all of you has been one of the greatest gifts of my life. Veterans are a unique community. A lot of people don’t fully understand our culture, and honestly, I don’t expect them to. But this Independence Day, at the Freedom Over Fascism: Vets March on Philly, they got to see our culture in action.
Some of Philadelphia’s long-time organizations admitted they were a little nervous about marching with a bunch of veterans. Honestly, that’s fair. We’re a little weird.
But afterward they told us something I’ll never forget. They had never marched with a group that cared for people the way veterans did. We checked on each other. We shared water. We made sure nobody got left behind. We looked after our own. We looked after our partners. We looked after complete strangers.
Service doesn’t end when we take the uniform off. It just changes. Philadelphia proved that. We had the largest gathering of veterans marching against war since Vietnam. I don’t think we’ve fully grasped what that means yet.
History has a funny way of happening while you’re busy doing the work. It doesn’t announce itself. It quietly asks whether you showed up when it mattered. On July 4th, veterans showed up. Veterans came together as one to say, “Yes, this time does matter. More than ever.”
But veterans didn’t stand alone. Philadelphia didn’t stand alone. America showed up for itself. And I believe we’re only just getting started.
Just Show Up
If you watched what happened in Philadelphia and wish you had been there, come next time. If you wonder whether there’s a place for you, there is.
Come stand with us. Come defend the Constitution. Come stand beside your brothers and sisters. Come help us build the country we all swore to defend.
Because patriotism isn’t blind loyalty. Patriotism is having the courage to fight for the country we know America can become and to demand an end to endless wars, at home and abroad.
No troops in our streets. No troops at the ballot box. Fund healthcare, not warfare.
If you’re wondering how to get involved, don’t worry about finding the “right” organization. There isn’t one. Look into any of the seven organizations that worked together to make this Freedom Over Fascism march possible.
If one feels like home, join it. If another speaks to you, join that one. If you don’t want to join any organization at all, that’s okay too. Come through Vets Against Fascism.
Just show up. Stand beside us. At the end of the day, none of us care what patch you wear or what logo is on your T-shirt. We care that you’re willing to stand beside your fellow veterans, military families, and neighbors when it matters.
That’s how we built this coalition. And that’s how we’ll keep building it.
To every organizer, every veteran, every military family, every supporter, and every person who believed enough to show up, thank you. Standing beside you in the streets of Philadelphia was one of the greatest honors of my life. I’ll carry this historic Freedom Over Fascism March with me for the rest of my life.
And I can’t wait to see what we build together next.
Learn more about Veterans Against Fascism at:
https://www.vetsagainstfascism.org/
You can still help defray some of the costs of the Freedom Over Fascism: Vets March in Philly by donating here:
https://fund-the-july-4th-march-in-philadelphia.raiselysite.com/