Hands Off the Arts rally at Kennedy Center coincides with judge's ruling on illegal renaming, blocking closure

By Michele Bourdieu

On the steps to the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, organizers from the group Hands Off the Arts pause for a photo following their May 29, 2026, rally to defend the original name of the Kennedy Center and to oppose its closure by the present federal administration. Pictured here are, from left, Jane Raleigh, Chris Raleigh, Andrew Miller and Mallory Miller. The rally occurred on the same day as a ruling by a federal judge that the name change on the Kennedy Center violates a 1964 act of Congress mandating that the institution be named exclusively for President John F. Kennedy. The judge also struck down the Kennedy Center board's vote to shutter the arts center for a two-year, multimillion-dollar renovation.* Click on photo for larger version. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

WASHINGTON, DC -- A crowd of about 200 supporters of the arts turned up for a rally outside the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on Friday, May 29, 2026, to oppose the renaming of the Center by the present administration and the plans to close it for renovation. Organized by the group Hands Off the Arts, participants in the rally included Kennedy Center workers, visitors, artists and supporters of the arts.

At the May 29, 2026, rally outside the Kennedy Center, supporters listen to speakers who describe their interest in and support of the arts and the Kennedy Center's importance as a cultural venue open to the public. The crowd also sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President," commemorating what would have been former President John F. Kennedy's 109th birthday that same day. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

Speakers at the rally referred to the fact that a federal judge, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, had ruled earlier that same day that the recent name change on the Kennedy Center violates a 1964 act of Congress that mandates the institution to be named exclusively for President John F. Kennedy. Judge Cooper ordered all of Donald Trump's names to be removed from the building's facade and website within two weeks. He noted Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name and only Congress can change it. The court ruling also halted the Kennedy Center board's vote to shutter the arts center for a two-year, multimillion-dollar renovation. Judge Cooper deemed the plan "ill-informed and seemingly preordained."* 

Calling this a "win" for judges and supportive legislators, speakers at the rally noted that, while that win should be celebrated, nevertheless, the campaign to support the Center must continue because the future under this administration is unknown.

During the May 29, 2026, rally organized by the group Hands Off the Arts, a speaker with a theater background speaks in support of the Kennedy Center and urges the audience to continue the campaign to keep it open and legally named as a memorial for John F. Kennedy, a supporter of the arts. (Video by Keweenaw Now) 

Kennedy Center supporters display a sign critical of Donald Trump's wish to build monuments to himself. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now) 

A teacher who has spent 54 years as a volunteer for the Kennedy Center spoke about her positive experiences as a volunteer and supporter of the Center.

 

During the May 29, 2026, rally in support of the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, a teacher speaks about volunteering at the Kennedy Center and involving her students as well during her many years as a supporter. (Video by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

 

Following the speakers, the Rapid Response Choir led the crowd in singing songs of encouragement.

 

On May 29, 2026, outside the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, participants in the rally in support of the Center sing "People Will Find A Way." They are led by members of the Rapid Response Choir. (Video by Keweenaw Now)

Supporters at the rally display signs like this one to express their awareness of the real purpose of the Kennedy Center. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

During the rally, a visitor from Virginia spoke to Keweenaw Now on her own support of the Kennedy Center and the need to keep supporting it.

During the May 29, 2026, rally at the Kennedy Center organized by Hands Off the Arts, Debbie from Virginia speaks with Keweenaw Now on her concerns for the Kennedy Center. (Video by Keweenaw Now)

Following the May 29 rally, Chris Raleigh, one of the founders of the group Hands Off the Arts and an organizer of the rally, spoke with Keweenaw Now on the purpose and success of the event.

Chris Raleigh of Washington, DC, tells Keweenaw Now how the volunteer group, Hands Off the Arts, began in support of the Kennedy Center. (Video by Keweenaw Now)

Following the speakers and songs, participants at the rally were invited to join a silent candlelight procession, walking around the building to draw attention to their concerns.

On the side of the Kennedy Center building are statements by President John F. Kennedy like this one, exemplifying his support for art and culture.

*Editor's Note: See: "Judge says Kennedy Center board violated law putting Trump's name on building, blocks closure." PBS.org. May 29, 2026.

Five Anishinaabe Nations sign international agreement to protect shared waters from sulfide-ore copper-nickel mining

From: Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Press Release Posted on May 19, 2026 

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On May 19, 2026, five sovereign Anishinaabe Nations spanning the U.S. - Canada border signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) committing to coordinate their efforts to protect the shared waters, treaty-guaranteed resources, and cultural lifeways of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness/Rainy River/Quetico/Lac La Croix region from the threat of sulfide-ore copper-nickel mining.

The signatories are:
• Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa -- Chairman Robert Deschampe
• Bois Forte Band of Chippewa -- Chairman Carlos Hernandez
• Red Lake Nation -- Chairman Darrell G. Seki, Sr.
• Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation (Canada) -- Chief Carrie Atatise-Norwegian
• Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa -- Chairman Bruce Savage

The signing took place in the office of U.S. Senator Tina Smith, a leading defender of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) and a vocal opponent of the recent congressional action to revoke federal mining protections for the region.

In a signing ceremony held at 4 p.m. on May 19, 2026, in the office of U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Washington, D.C., Anishinaabe signers of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to protect shared waters and treaty-protected resources from the threat of sulfide-ore copper-nickel mining include, from left, Chairman Hernandez, Chief Atatise-Norwegian, Chairman Deschampe, and Chairman Darrel Seki. (Photo courtesy Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa)

Canada’s Representative Marcus Powlowski, a member of Parliament representing the Thunder Bay-Rainy River region since 2019, joined the group in its Capitol Hill visits as the guest of Chief Carrie Atatise-Norwegian of the Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation, with the support of Grand Council Treaty #3. Located on Lac La Croix, the First Nation is in the path of any sulfide pollution if copper-nickel mining is approved that impacts the BWCA. The National Congress of American Indians assisted with organizing the international effort.

The MOU establishes a framework for the five Nations to communicate, coordinate, and collaborate across the international boundary, including sharing scientific data, developing joint advocacy strategies, engaging with federal and state regulators on both sides of the border, and presenting a unified voice in defense of their treaty-protected homelands. The Nations’ leaders first met to plan the MOU and trip to D.C. at a meeting held on the Grand Portage Reservation on May 1, 2026.

"Our ancestors ceded these lands to the United States in the Treaty of 1854, but only on the condition that we would forever retain the right to hunt, fish, and gather on those lands. Those rights are written into federal law and affirmed by the courts. What good is the right to fish if we can’t eat what we harvest?" said Grand Portage Chairman Robert Deschampe.

Together, the Nations are standing in defense of the Boundary Waters/Rainy River/Quetico/Lac La Croix region and calling for meaningful consultation, treaty-rights analysis, and transboundary review before any mining activity advances.

"As we think about next steps for protecting the water, we know that we are stronger when we collaborate and strategize together as one, regardless of the imaginary line that separates us," said Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation Chief Carrie Atatise-Norwegian. "The intricacies of international law may complicate our coordination, but we stand in unity and solidarity as Anishinaabe people to protect our water. We will use every tool at our disposal to stop any disturbance to these pristine waters."

Chairman Carlos Hernandez reiterated that Bois Forte Members have harvested manoomin (wild rice) within the BWCAW waters since time immemorial.

"Sulfide-ore copper mining threatens the wild rice, the clean water, and the way of life that defines who we are as a people," Hernandez said. "There is no remediation plan that can undo acid mine drainage in the headwaters of the Boundary Waters. Once it is gone, it is gone."

Red Lake’s Chairman Darrel Seki added, "We stand together with our relatives today because the water does not know borders, and neither does our responsibility to protect it. We take our duty to care for and fight for the health of these lands and water with utmost seriousness."

The signing comes in direct response to the enactment on April 27, 2026, of Public Law 119-85, which used the Congressional Review Act to revoke Public Land Order No. 7917, a 20-year protection for over 225,000 acres of federal land in the Rainy River headwaters that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management issued in 2023 following years of government-to-government consultation with the affected Tribal Nations. The revocation, the first-ever use of the Congressional Review Act to strike down a Public Land Order, was accomplished without any consultation with the impacted Tribal Nations and without allowing Tribal leaders to testify before Congress, despite repeated
requests. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified sulfide-ore copper-nickel mining as the most toxic industry in the United States. A 2022 U.S. Forest Service study concluded that this type of mining poses unacceptable and irreversible risks to the Boundary Waters watershed. No sulfide-ore copper mine has ever operated anywhere in the world without polluting surrounding waters.

The three Bands that were signatory to the Treaty of 1854 -- Grand Portage, Bois Forte and Fond du Lac -- hold federally reserved hunting, fishing, and gathering rights throughout the 1854 Ceded
Territory, which encompasses the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the Rainy River Headwaters, and the Superior National Forest.*

Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation holds rights and responsibilities under Treaty No. 3 in the Rainy River, Quetico, Lac La Croix, and Lake of the Woods region. The Red Lake Nation holds sovereign interests and reserved rights connected to the broader Rainy River region that may be affected by transboundary mining impacts.

All five Nations have affirmed that meaningful government-to-government consultation, treaty-rights analysis, cumulative-effects analysis, and transboundary review are required before any
governmental action authorizes or advances sulfide-ore copper-nickel mining that could affect their shared waters and treaty-protected resources.

The five Nations signing this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) may be joined in solidarity by additional sovereign Indigenous Nations with shared responsibilities to protect these waters in the coming weeks.** 

Editor's Notes: 

* For maps and information on the Treaty of 1854, CLICK HERE. 

** For more photos and information visit the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Facebook page.

Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony April 18 at Rozsa celebrates 25 Years of Rozsa performances

By Michele Bourdieu, with information from the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts 

Joel Neves conducts the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra in the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts. For the first-ever Upper Peninsula performance of Mahler's Resurrection Symphony on Saturday, April 18, in the Rozsa, the KSO will perform with visiting  musicians from around the UP, downstate Michigan, Wisconsin, and even Kansas -- to total of more than 175 musicians and members of Michigan Tech Choirs, with soloists Lara Neves and Kathryn Summersett. Click on photos for larger versions. (Photo courtesy Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts)

HOUGHTON -- On Saturday, April 18, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra, Choirs of Michigan Tech, musicians from the Upper Peninsula and Midwest, and soloists Lara Neves and Kathryn Summersett, combine for the Upper Peninsula’s first-ever performance of Gustav Mahler’s transcendent Resurrection Symphony. In celebration of the Rozsa Center's 25th Anniversary Season, over 175 musicians and choir members will take the stage to perform one of the most ambitious pieces of music ever composed.

Conductor Joel Neves, Professor of Music and Director of Orchestral Activities at Michigan Technological University, has wanted to bring this experience to our local community for a long time.

Conductor Joel Neves addresses members of the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra and visiting musicians during the April 15 dress rehearsal for Mahler's Resurrection Symphony. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

"The Mahler Resurrection Symphony, I think, is the G.O.A.T. of all symphonies, the greatest of all time," says Joel. "In the Resurrection Symphony, Mahler grapples with existential questions of the human soul: Why is life so painful? Why is death so tragic? Why are joyous moments so fleeting? Is there really any hope? Will mankind really live again after death? Mahler answers these questions throughout the five movements."

During the April 15 dress rehearsal, Joel Neves conducts selected parts of Mahler's Resurrection Symphony, sometimes working with one section of the orchestra at a time. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now) 

"The symphony begins with a dark funeral march (first movement)," Joel notes, "followed by a dance that nostalgically reflects on happier times when life was filled with joyous possibility (second movement). The third movement is the sardonic, shrieking dance of a 'tortured soul.' The fourth movement is titled Primal Light, in which the mezzo-soprano soloist sings that 'humanity lies in great agony' and how she longs for spiritual union with God and the eternal life he promised.

"Then comes perhaps the greatest finale in all of music (over 30 minutes long!) which invokes the Day of Judgement and the Great Call for the dead to arise from their graves, with the choir proclaiming the miraculous Resurrection of all mankind."

Members of the Michigan Tech Choirs perform in the Rozsa Center during a previous concert. About 80 choir members will perform during Mahler's Resurrection Symphony on April 18. (Photo © Brockit and courtesy Rozsa Center)

Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony, 90 minutes long, calls for a massive orchestra, including ten horns, eight trumpets, two harps, two sets of timpani, organ, and off-stage horns and trumpets placed way up in the rafters; and a large chorus with two soloists.

"The symphony is such a behemoth that we had to bring in musicians from the Marquette Symphony Orchestra, Northern Michigan University, Sault-Sainte Marie, Escanaba, Iron Mountain, downstate Michigan, Wisconsin, and even Kansas, to augment our numbers," Joel adds. "This will be the largest choral-orchestral symphony ever performed on the Rozsa stage!"  

Here are some brief clips of Mahler's music from the dress rehearsal held in the Rozsa Center on April 15:  

During the April 15 dress rehearsal for the April 18, 2026, performance of Mahler's Resurrection Symphony at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts in Houghton, MI, Conductor Joel Neves directs members of the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra in a selection from the beginning of the symphony. (Video by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

During the April 15 dress rehearsal, Conductor Joel Neves directs musicians of the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra, who are joined by visiting musicians from various towns in Michigan and from Wisconsin and Kansas. (Video by Keweenaw Now)

"This year has been a celebration -- and a reminder of how important it is to be in this space together as a community," says Kiersten Birondo, Executive Director of the Rozsa Center. "With so much talent from across the Upper Peninsula coming together, this concert represents the kind of collaboration, coordination, trust, and willingness to build something together that makes our surrounding community and the Rozsa Center so special."

This will be the first time Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony has ever been performed in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It includes possibly the greatest number of performers that have ever graced the Rozsa stage.

Steve Jones, Production Manager for the Rozsa Center, commented on the challenges posed by this very large performance.

"We're doing things for this show that we've never done in my ten years working here," Jones told Keweenaw Now. "We've got musicians performing up in the spotlight booth and some of the lighting areas up there. For them to be able to perform up there we had to hook up a video monitor of Joel's conductor cam (normally used for the livestream of the concert)."

Horn musicians prepare to play their off-stage parts in the tiny spotlight booth high above the Rozsa audience. The video monitor for viewing Conductor Joel Neves's direction is visible in the upper left of the photo. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

During the April 15 dress rehearsal, off-stage horn musicians located in a spotlight booth high above the audience play their part in the symphony. In order to see conductor Joel Neves, they must view his directions on a livestream screen. (Video by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

"There's a ton of behind-the-scenes work that goes into preparing the show," Jones added, "and with the help of my student crew that makes it all possible."

One of the visiting horn musicians playing in the small spotlight booth -- Brian Carter of Alpena, Michigan -- spoke with Keweenaw Now after the April 15 dress rehearsal. Brian has also played French horn with the Marquette Symphony, the Soo Opera, and the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra in Petoskey.

Visiting musician Brian Carter of Alpena, Michigan, speaks about his experience playing French horn in several Michigan orchestras as well as the Keweenaw Symphony. (Video interview by Keweenaw Now)

Joel Neves is Director of Orchestral Activities at Michigan Tech, where he conducts the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra. The KSO was awarded 2nd Place nationally in the American Prize in Orchestral Performance for its recordings of Jupiter and Sinfonia antartica. The orchestra recently premiered Joel’s new tone poem -- Kalaupapa --about his great-grandparents’ imprisonment in Molokai’s leper colony. Joel conducted the Hawaiian premiere of Kalaupapa in Honolulu in December 2024.

Joel is a regular guest conductor of professional, college, and all-state orchestras. He has guest conducted the Hubei Symphony Orchestra in Wuhan, China (2015), the Orquesta Sinfónica de Entre Ríos in Argentina (2015, 2017), and the Filarmonica de Stat Sibiu in Romania (2024). He is currently Artistic Director and Conductor of the Pine Mountain Music Festival, a professional opera and classical music festival in Michigan. Joel has also directed numerous opera, ballet, and music theatre productions.  

"The Resurrection Symphony is a life changer. If you’ve never been to a symphony before, this is the one to go to," Joel suggests. "It will alter you. You will remember it for a long time. It takes you on a beautiful emotional journey that forces you to think about life and what it’s about in all its pain, tragedy, beauty and triumph. You don’t want to miss it."

Also appearing in Saturday's concert are soloists Lara Neves, mezzo-soprano (Joel's wife), and Kathryn Summersett, soprano.

Lara Neves, a graduate of Brigham Young University, performed at BYU in Magic Flute, Der Fledermaus, Tales of Hoffmann and Marriage of Figaro. Since living in Houghton she has soloed with the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra in Handel’s Messiah, Berlioz' Les nuits d'été, Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem, and most recently, Mosaic for Earth. In 2014, she played Amahl’s mother in Michigan Tech’s Amahl and the Night Visitors. Lara has performed with Pine Mountain Music Festival’s operatic productions and was also the mezzo-soprano soloist for the festival's Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. In 2018 she sang the role of Mercedes in PMMF's production of Carmen. (Inset photo of Lara Neves © and courtesy Adam Johnson, Brockit)  

Kathryn Summersett, Doctor of Music and McClosky voice technician, currently works as a vocalist, private instructor, and music teacher in local schools. She earned her Doctor of Music in Historical Performance from Indiana University, her MM from University of North Texas, and her BM from University of Massachusetts. In 2013, she also became a certified McClosky voice technician. Kathryn also enjoys performing a wide variety of genres including, but not limited to, medieval chant, Renaissance lute songs, baroque and classical opera, romantic art songs, early 20th century jazz, and modern pop. (Inset photo of Kathryn Summersett © DS Sanchez and courtesy Rozsa Center)

Jared Anderson, director of choral activities at Michigan Tech, prepared the choir for this Mahler concert. An active choral singer all his life performing in venues and festivals worldwide, Anderson will be singing in the choir during this production. Anderson is Professor of Music and Chair of the Visual and Performing Arts Department at Michigan Tech, where he conducts conScience: Michigan Tech Chamber Singers and the Michigan Tech Concert Choir. He has worked with ensembles of all sizes and voicing, with singers of many different ages and backgrounds, including choirs at Michigan Tech, Northland College, the University of Minnesota, Brigham Young University, and an inmate choir at the Utah State Prison. 

To Purchase Tickets!

If you haven't yet purchased tickets for this important concert, go to https://mtu.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=7868. Reserved tickets for this event are Pay as You're Able ticketing.This event is Michigan Tech Student Rush eligible. Please contact the Rozsa Box Office with any questions about this event via phone at 906-487-1906, or by email at rozsa@mtu.edu. View current Box Office Hours.

This event will be livestreamed. Should the concert be sold out, CLICK HERE and then click on View Stream.

The Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts cultivates a vibrant and connected community through experiences that bring the Keweenaw together. Located on Michigan Technological University's campus in Houghton, Michigan, the 80,000-square-foot Rozsa Center, the largest theater in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, dramatically expands the region’s access to large-scale performing arts events including Broadway tours, ballet, cirque, music, and more.

Concerned residents rally against AI data centers

By Michele Bourdieu

Across from Veterans' Memorial Park in Houghton, participants in the April 10, 2026, Anti Data Center rally, a Michigan statewide event, display a variety of homemade signs about the danger of allowing these centers in local communities. Click on photos for larger versions. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

HOUGHTON -- Displaying their signs to oncoming traffic near Veterans' Memorial Park in Houghton, a lively group of concerned residents rallied in solidarity with the statewide Michigan demonstrations against data centers on Friday, April 10. These events were a protest against Big Tech corporate-owned data centers with AI servers multiplying across the state and expanding even into the Upper Peninsula, where they threaten to invade the sensitive natural environment.

These huge developments threaten water supplies, raise energy demand and electricity bills, extend fossil fuel and nuclear energy use at a time of climate crisis, emit pollutants into the air and create harmful electronic waste, threaten jobs by replacing workers with more AI, and devour sensitive personal data.*

As participants gathered across from Veterans' Memorial Park in Houghton, Rich Canevez, a member of Keweenaw Indivisible's leadership team, accepted an invitation from organizers in Keweenaw Against the Oligarchy (KATO), which is a Hub of Michigan Untied Action and a partner of Up North Advocacy, to open the rally.

Speaking of his own love for the natural beauty of the Keweenaw, Rich Canevez of the Keweenaw Indivisible leadership team, opens the April 10, 2026, rally against data centers in Houghton, MI, in solidarity with the statewide event. (Video by Keweenaw Now)

Canevez spoke briefly of the fact that these huge data centers threaten the water, land, life style and natural beauty of communities. He then introduced two speakers from the recently formed Northern Michigan Alliance for Responsible Development (NMARD) -- Nolan Wright and Emma Goodman.

Nolan Wright, mathematics student at Michigan Tech University and Student Organizer with NMARD, addressed the crowd, citing both environmental and economic costs of data centers -- their effects on  water supplies, air quality, land use, electricity, infrastructure and (reduced) job opportunities.

During the April 10, 2026, Anti Data Center rally in Houghton, Nolan Wright, mathematics student at Michigan Tech University and Student Organizer with Northern Michigan Alliance for Responsible Development, speaks about the high costs associated with data centers. (Video by Keweenaw Now)

Emma Goodman, of Saline, MI, where a huge data center has been proposed for the township, spoke to rally participants about the challenges to towns and townships where residents oppose data center development.

During the April 10, 2026, Houghton, MI, Anti Data Center rally, Emma Goodman speaks to participants about a Michigan community that lost its fight against such a center and another that won. She urges the crowd to organize and resist data centers by communicating their views to local officials, state legislators and the governor. (Video by Keweenaw Now)

The Northern Michigan Alliance for Responsible Development (NMARD), begun this year, has organized and participated in multiple township meetings across the Upper Peninsula, educating townships on local ordinances that could protect them. To date they have provided training to over 250 Yoopers on the risks and impacts of data centers and cryptomines and are currently building up their organizing strength around this issue.

The organizers of the April 10 rally in Houghton -- Lexi Tater, Up North Advocacy (UNA) Community Organizer, and Audrey Gerard, Michigan United Action Northern Regional Manager -- are starting a hub of NMARD in the Keweenaw to draft these ordinances and moratoriums in order to bring them to local level governance.

Organizers Audrey Gerard, left, and Lexi Tater are pictured here with their sign during the rally against data centers on Friday, April 10, in Houghton. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)

"We formed around Big Tech issues in northern Michigan, but in pursuing that we realized there's a larger picture of what is 'responsible development,'" Tater told Keweenaw Now.

Gerard added, "Not only are data centers a hazard to the environment and a nuisance to their neighbors, they are also something the people, by and large, do not want! Yet DTE was able to get a bill passed, giving them major tax breaks to supply energy to data centers. How? It couldn't possibly have to do with the $100 million they gave in political spending. We are collecting signatures for a Michiganders for Money Out of Politics (MMOP) petition that will help clean up this corporate money and put the power back in the voters' hands! Find a circulator near you to sign the petition, or volunteer to circulate at https://mopupmichigan.org!"**

During the rally, Tater spoke to participants about joining the NMARD hub and signing the MMOP petition.***

During the April 10, 2026, Anti Data Center rally in Houghton, MI, Lexi Tater, co-founder of Keweenaw Against the Oligarchy and community organizer for Up North Advocacy, speaks to rally participants on what they can do to help keep data centers out of the Keweenaw. (Video by Keweenaw Now)

While some participants signed the petition, local resident Chaundel, disguised as the Grim Reaper, led some chants as a warm-up for the walk to the Portage Lift Bridge.

As participants in the April 10, 2026, rally against Data Centers prepare to walk to the Portage Lift Bridge in order to display their signs to oncoming traffic, Chaundel, dressed as the Grim Reaper, leads them in chants against data centers. (Video by Keweenaw Now)

When asked to explain his costume at the rally, Alan Salmi of Hancock said he was "just acting as a supporter and guardian for death (the Grim Reaper)." His sign was a reference to "Data" in Star Trek -- the only data that he truly trusted. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

As the rally participants prepared to walk to the Bridge, Keweenaw Now noticed a Democratic candidate for the Michigan First District US Congressional seat, Kyle Blomquist, was present. Valorie Troesch of the Houghton County Dems interviewed Blomquist about his campaign.

During the April 10, 2026, rally against data centers in Houghton, Valorie Troesch of the Houghton County Democratic Party speaks with Kyle Blomquist, a candidate for Michigan's 1st District US Congressional Representative, who will be running in the Democratic primary election in order to contest present US Rep. Jack Bergman's seat in Congress. (Video by Keweenaw Now) 

Participants in the rally, displaying their signs, then walked peacefully to line the Portage Lift Bridge. Many passing drivers honked their horns to show support.

Participants in the April 10, 2026, rally against data centers walk toward the Portage Lift Bridge, where they will display their signs and posters to oncoming traffic. (Video by Keweenaw Now)

Participants in the April 10 rally continue their walk toward the Portage Lift Bridge. (Video by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

Walkers from the rally line the Portage Lift Bridge, displaying many signs to oncoming traffic. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

Some intrepid kayakers found a spot on the Portage Waterway where ice had melted and joined the rally. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now) 

Some of the signs displayed during the rally and walk were created during a poster-making session held earlier in the week.

Nathan Staley , a member of Keweenaw Against the Oligarchy (KATO) displays two signs used during the April 10 rally. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

This sign expresses concern for the water resources that are being used in great quantities and even polluted by data centers. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

Janis Alatalo, left, and Zacary Mues-Byrd display a sign that also calls for protecting water from data centers. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

Dee Dee Bloom of the AWAVE (Advocates for those Without A Voice Everywhere) group displays a meaningful sign during the rally. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

Moratoriums proposed against data centers

The Sierra Club Michigan Chapter, has said the following about data centers in Michigan:

"Big tech companies are flocking to Michigan with their data center projects for a few key reasons. Our Great Lakes offer an abundance of water and a cooler climate that lowers operating costs, as well as an abundance of land near major infrastructure. Perhaps most enticing to these companies, however, are the generous tax incentives in Michigan that are aimed at attracting large-scale development. As hype for artificial-intelligence technology and cloud-computing drive explosive demand for energy-intensive data centers nationwide, companies are looking beyond saturated coastal markets to Midwest states like Michigan that can accommodate rapid growth. This surge is driven by infrastructure and cost advantages -- not by local demand -- and raises important questions about energy use, utility costs, and long-term public benefit."

The Sierra Club Michigan Chapter has a petition calling for a temporary moratorium on all large-scale data center approvals until Michigan has a comprehensive state plan that ensures these projects will not harm our environment, our communities, or Michigan ratepayers. (Click here to learn more and sign the petition.) 

This sign suggests the reason for taking action to protect your community from data centers. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

Bernie and AOC propose legislation 

On March 25,  2026, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) announced the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Data Center Moratorium Act, legislation that would enact a reasonable pause to the development of AI to ensure the safety of humanity. 

The AI Data Center Moratorium Act of 2026 would institute an immediate federal moratorium on AI data centers until strong national safeguards are in place to ensure the following:

• AI is safe and effective -- preventing executives in the AI industry from releasing harmful products into the world that threaten the health and well-being of working families, our privacy and civil rights and the future of humanity.
• The economic gains of AI and robotics will benefit workers, not just the wealthy owners of Big Tech.
• AI does not increase electricity or utility prices, harm communities or destroy the environment.

Additionally, this bill will stop a global race to see which country is the first to eliminate hundreds of millions of jobs, or the first to build an AI that destroys the planet. It accomplishes this by banning U.S. exports of AI computing infrastructure to countries that do not have safeguards in place to guarantee AI is safe and effective, workers are protected and AI does not harm the environment.

Editor's Notes:

* See: "The Top 10 Reasons Data Centers Must be Stopped," in Food and Water Watch.

Tell your members of Congress: No New Data Centers! Pass the AI Data Center Moratorium Act. 

** 356,958 valid signatures within 180 days are needed to get the MMOP proposal on the November 2026 ballot so voters can weigh in. Whether you want to sign the petition or collect signatures, there is room for you in the movement to get money out of politics! CLICK HERE to take action.

*** If you wish to join the local hub of the Northern Michigan Alliance for Responsible Development (NMARD), you can email Lexi Tater at Lexi@upnorthadvocacy.org or Audrey Gerard at Agerard@miunited.org.

Houghton's NO KINGS 3 attracts 625 to rally, march for democracy, voting rights, free speech, more ...

By Michele Bourdieu

Carrying a variety of signs in support of democracy, voting rights, immigration justice, free speech and more, 600 people show up at the Houghton Pier for the March 28, 2026, nationwide NO KINGS 3 rally and walk to the Portage Lift Bridge (in background). In a supportive motor march, 25 more drove vehicles to accompany the marchers. Click on photos for larger versions. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

HOUGHTON -- Undaunted by the cold weather on Saturday, March 28, 2026, a crowd of 625 people participated in the NO KINGS 3 rally and march in Houghton. Following a rally at the Houghton Pier on the waterfront, two groups peacefully headed to the Portage Lift Bridge and walked on both sides of the bridge, displaying their signs to passing traffic. The event was organized by Keweenaw Indivisible (KI), a local group, whose many volunteers served as guides and peacekeepers.

"We were really encouraged by the turnout. Even with spring break, a lot of people out of town, and the colder weather, seeing that many people show up just shows how much this matters to our community," said Heather Mroz of the Keweenaw Indivisible leadership team. "Adding a march through downtown definitely meant a lot more planning than what we’ve done before, but we had a really strong team of KI members working through all the details. We brought in a large number of volunteers to marshal this time, and people really followed the plan. They took safety seriously, both for marchers and for pedestrian and traffic access, and kept things moving."

Displaying their signs, most of them homemade, participants in NO KINGS 3 gather on the Houghton Pier as the rally begins. (Photo by Keweenaw Now) 

The rally began with an energetic speech by Rich Canevez of the KI leadership team, who reminded the crowd of the importance of speaking out and letting our representatives and political candidates know our views on current threats to democracy and human rights in this country.

Rich Canevez of the Keweenaw Indivisible leadership team kicks off the NO KINGS 3 rally and march with a heartfelt talk on why people are gathered for a third nationwide No Kings event in Houghton, Michigan, on March 28, 2026. Click on YouTube for larger view of video. (Video by Keweenaw Now)

Canevez continued, citing the meaning of "NO KINGS" and urging participants to speak out as a community.

Rich Canevez of the Keweenaw Indivisible leadership team continues his rallying speech to participants in the March 28, 2028, No Kings 3 event in Houghton. (Video by Keweenaw Now)

Following the rally, the crowd divided into two groups and walked through downtown to the Portage Lift Bridge, peacefully lining both sides of the bridge and displaying many signs and flags to oncoming traffic.

This group of NO KINGS 3 participants walk up to Shelden Avenue in downtown Houghton to proceed to the east side of the bridge. Friendly neighbors assist Peter and Carol Ekstrom with her wheel chair. (Video by Keweenaw Now)

Individual homemade signs express marchers' concerns about the current administration's move toward authoritarianism. (Photo by Keweenaw Now) 

Displaying signs and flags to oncoming traffic, marchers line both sides of the Portage Lift Bridge. (Photo courtesy Keweenaw Indivisible. Reprinted with permission.)

One of the decorated motor march vehicles accompanying the marchers on foot bears a message of concern for children detained, often illegally, by ICE. (Photo courtesy Keweenaw Indivisible. Reprinted with permission.)

During the March 28 NO KINGS 3 march in Houghton, participants walk toward Hancock, displaying their signs and flags to oncoming traffic on the east side of the Portage Lift Bridge. Several drivers honk their horns in support. (Video by Keweenaw Now) 

Among the marchers on the east side of the bridge were Jeff and Crystal Baker of Chassell, who told Keweenaw Now they were participating in NO KINGS 3 for a long list of reasons, including the fact that they have grandchildren in ROTC and nephews in the armed services.

"I would rather it be peacetime service than wartime service for everyone's children," Crystal said. 

Displaying their "Grandparents Against Fascism" sign are Jeff and Crystal Baker of Chassell. Crystal created the sign for the NO KINGS 3 march. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)
 

Dee Dee Bloom of AWAVE (Advocates for those Without A Voice Everywhere), who volunteered for Keweenaw Indivisible as a marshal for NO KINGS 3, proudly wears the blue vest of the many volunteers who helped provide safety and successful movement for the march. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)

A second group of marchers walked along the west side of the Portage Lift Bridge:

Many participants display signs as they walk up the west side of the Portage Lift Bridge during NO KINGS 3 in Houghton, Michigan. (Video © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

Toward the end of the march, some people still displayed their signs on the corner of Shelden Avenue and the Houghton end of the bridge. One of these was Barry Fink, former president of the League of Women Voters (LWV) Copper Country Chapter and now LWV Director/Gogebic Range Unit Advisor, who told Keweenaw Now why she was present at NO KINGS 3.

Barry Fink represents the League of Women Voters of the Copper Country in solidarity with LWV members across the nation. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)

"I am here, along with other members of the League of Women Voters at rallies across the country, to participate in the NO KINGS March to stand in solidarity with partner organizations and stand up against hate and authoritarianism," Barry Fink said. "The League has consistently and boldly spoken up in the face of rising authoritarianism. This event is an opportunity to put words into action and show up in defense of democracy and the constitution."*

Liz Halkola of Pelkie displayed an artistic sign borrowed from Kelly Ilitalo, her former pastor of the Mission United Lutheran Church in Pelkie, Michigan.

Near the Lift Bridge, Liz Halkola of Pelkie displays a sign she borrowed from her former pastor, Kelly Ylitalo, who made the sign for a previous march and is moving to Wisconsin soon. She thanks Pastor Kelly for the sign and her work at the Mission United Lutheran church in Pelkie. (Video by Keweenaw Now)

Another local pastor, the Rev. Bucky Beach, now serving as pastor at the Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (KUUF), volunteered as a marshal and could be seen at various locations during the march.

Wearing the blue volunteer vest for Keweenaw Indivisible, Pastor Bucky Beach says he is "roaming" as a marshal during NO KINGS 3 in Houghton. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

Hancock resident Alan Salmi, who has participated in several local marches, was also present on the bridge during NO KINGS 3. 

Alan Salmi of Hancock pauses for a photo on the Lift Bridge during NO KINGS 3. (Photo © and courtesy Miriam Pickens. Reprinted with permission.)

Following the march, Alan Salmi shared his thoughts about NO KINGS 3 with Keweenaw Now.

"Eight to nine million people don’t show up in the streets because nothing is wrong," Salmi noted. "They show up because Trump’s own counterterrorism chief resigned rather than support an unnecessary war, because our tax dollars are funding bombs instead of our communities, and because the curtain is finally coming down -- on Iran, on Epstein, on all of it."

A family familiar with marching on the Lift Bridge, even in very cold weather, because of their constant support of the Yoopers for Ukraine walks over the past four years, John Loosemore and his children, displayed their signs for Houghton's NO KINGS 3.

The Loosemore family of Hancock, from left, Jethro, John, Jacob and Kaitlyn, brave the cold as usual on the Portage Lift Bridge during NO KINGS 3 on March 28, 2026. (Photo by Keweenaw Now) 

Miguel Levy of Houghton, executive of the Michigan branch of the American Communist Party, handed out flyers stating their position against illegal wars of aggression. The flyer states, "No soldier should die for empire or the profits of the elite. We demand that not a single American should die for Israel!"

Miguel Levy displays his NO WAR ON IRAN sign and flyer on the Portage Lift Bridge during NO KINGS 3. (Photo by Keweenaw Now) 

Jean Ellis of Eagle Harbor traveled the distance to Houghton for NO KINGS 3 and told Keweenaw Now she believed the event was a great success.

"Thank you so much to the organizers and to all those who stood in the cold breeze on the Bridge for close to an hour," Ellis said. "Gratitude goes locally to everyone who stood on the Portage Lake Bridge in cold and windy conditions and peacefully demonstrated. Toes and fingers may have frozen but we persisted. Encouragement from passers-by helped too. Each person who braves the cold is important and it's wonderful to see more and more turn out.

"All that said, the goal is to not have to protest because the Constitution has been upheld and the country has returned to its principles and laws. May we see that soon!"

Ellis also commented on the reports about NO KINGS 3 beyond Houghton:

"Minnesota definitely stood out and showed how citizens stand together. Thank you, Minnesotans, for your courage and fortitude. 

"Nationally, conditions varied across the USA but recent reports say that up to 9,000,000 people carried signs, sang, and stood up. Pictures of crowds that filled streets for blocks and blocks show that this nation is populated by people who care about democracy, morality, ethics, and humanity. Demonstrators from nations like France, Germany, Greece, Italy, and Portugal help us all to know that this is a world problem and we can hope for support and friendship when we reach a solution. And through it all, we need to thank those who worked to organize an incredibly peaceful event. 'Thank you' may not be enough but I hope it's a start."**

Another Keweenaw County resident, Dave Schumacher, traveled to Houghton from Eagle River, Mich., for NO KINGS 3 and stayed until the end. He noted he and his wife are worried about coming elections. Schumacher asked if one can think of any time in U.S. history when people were rallying in these numbers against our president.

Dave Schumacher of Eagle River, Mich., displays his sign and chats with Keweenaw Now about his concerns for the country. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

Heather Mroz of Keweenaw Indivisible expressed gratitude for the turnout and cooperation of city officials for the NO KINGS 3 event.

"The City of Houghton and the Houghton Police Department were great to work with throughout, helping us plan ahead and supporting us day-of so we could carry out a safe event," Mroz told Keweenaw Now. "Overall, it was just a great day. It felt energized, it felt organized, and we’re really grateful to everyone who came out." 

More photos ... (These photos © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

 

 

 

Thanks to John Peiffer for photos and videos of NO KINGS 3.

 

Editor's Notes:

 

* The League of Women Voters (LWV) -- a nonpartisan political organization -- encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. 

 

** Jean Ellis posted these comments on Facebook and gave us permission to quote them here. To see photos of NO KINGS 3 from around the world CLICK HERE.