Neon lights, glow sticks and handmade signs lit up the corner of University Boulevard and 13th Street South Tuesday evening as demonstrators gathered for “Light Up the Resistance,” an event organized by Alabama 5051 in partnership with Women’s March and Walkout.
The gathering took place Jan. 20 from 5–7 p.m., where participants stood along the roadside and drew support from passing drivers through honks and waves.
AJ, a state organizer and co-chair for Alabama 5051, said the event was designed to build community visibility and send a message of continued political engagement.
“This, I don’t know if you would really call it a protest,” AJ said. “I think we’re really just kind of having just some fun and getting our message out and making sure that people remember that there are people out here… we still have the energy, we’re still ready to fight. We’re still ready to stand up for what’s right.”
Alabama 5051 is part of a nationwide movement that describes its mission as upholding the U.S. Constitution and opposing executive overreach. The organization originated from the idea of coordinating protests across all 50 states on the same day in response to actions taken during the Trump administration.
“Our movement shows the world that the American working class will not sit idly by as plutocrats rip apart their democratic institutions and civil liberties while undermining the rule of law,” the group’s central website reads.
According to organizers’ promotional materials, the gathering encouraged attendees to wear neon or glow gear and bring LED lights to create a bright, highly visible presence. Organizers described the event as peaceful and open to all ages.
Another participant, who identified himself only as “Luigi” and declined to provide his real name, said the purpose of the gathering was to protest President Donald Trump and encourage voter turnout.
“We’re protesting Trump,” Luigi said. “We think that his actions have been really dark… so we decided to be bright for him.”
Luigi said he observed engagement from young people and families throughout the evening, including students and children passing through the area, and that the location was chosen for visibility.
“We’ve seen probably a thousand cars go by,” he said. “This gives us a bunch of visibility, and there were a lot of honk horns.”
He added that the event aimed to create a sense of solidarity among people who feel politically isolated.
“Hopefully in the next election, people will feel like maybe they aren’t outnumbered and people will actually go vote and we can see some real change,” Luigi said.
