WILLIAMSBURG 一 About 100 people gathered July 18 at the Williamsburg-James City County Courthouse for the “Good Trouble Lives On” rally, an event organized to honor the legacy of late U.S. Rep. John Lewis and encourage civic engagement.
The rally was organized by Williamsburg-JCC Indivisible, the League of Women Voters-Williamsburg and the Williamsburg Unitarian Universalists. Attendees braved sweltering heat and an air quality warning to hear speakers focus on voting access, civic participation and the legacy of Lewis, a longtime civil rights leader and U.S. congressman.
Denise Harrington, president of the League of Women Voters-Williamsburg, opened the event by encouraging attendees to check their voter registration status and prepare for the upcoming election. She added that the deadline to have voter registration updated is Oct. 23 and early voting begins in person on Sept. 18.
Drawing from her own experience as a first-generation immigrant from South Korea, Robin Jester Wootton, director of religious education for the Williamsburg Unitarian Universalists, reflected on the history of representation in the United States.
“I have the full rights of an American citizen, but I know that has not always been the case,” she said. “It has been hard won for many of our citizens and exponentially more so for our Black [and Native American] communities.”
Wootton also discussed a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot this fall that would automatically restore voting rights to people convicted of felonies after they are released from incarceration.
Charles Gates, president of the York-James City-Williamsburg NAACP, encouraged those in attendance to get out and vote as well as encourage others to do the same. Data from The Virginia Public Access Project shows that early voting totals are lower than they were at the same point in 2025, with James City County down 4.7%, Williamsburg down 6.6% and York County down 4.8%.
“We gotta take the time to fire everybody up,” Gates said. “The time for us to sit down and sing Kumbaya and be mad in front of our TVs is over. Make good trouble, whatever that looks like to you, you make good trouble.”
Once the speakers concluded, attendees made their way along Monticello Avenue in front of the courthouse.
Pamela “Pam” Pouchot, who attended the rally said she’s been an avid activist since the 1960s.
“To me, this is all about freedom. Freedom of choice, freedom of religion, freedom of speech – what our Constitution and what our amendments have given us,” said Pouchot.
