Freedom is not a given

By Fabrizio Sasso
Executive Director, Sacramento CLC

Each year on Independence Day, we celebrate the birth of American democracy, a bold and imperfect experiment rooted in the idea that government should serve the people, not rulers.

This founding principle, that there should be no kings, is not just a historical declaration. It is a living standard that must be defended and renewed by every generation.

Recently, I was invited to speak at the Sacramento “No Kings” rally, part of the massive nationwide string of events declaring that our country was founded on the idea of rejecting the rule of a monarchy.  Today, that same spirit that led to the founding of our country calls us to ask: What does it mean to reject kings in our time?

In a democracy, kings don’t always wear crowns. Sometimes they sit in boardrooms, in executive offices or even in government chambers where they forget who they serve. When power becomes too concentrated, whether economic or political, it stops listening. It stops being accountable. And it begins to resemble the very thing we fought a revolution to escape.

This isn’t just a philosophical concern. We see the consequences every day. When corporate landlords raise rents beyond what working families can afford, it’s not just a housing crisis, it’s a crisis of democracy. When billionaires fund political campaigns and drown out the voices of everyday people, it’s not just politics as usual, it’s a system teetering away from its democratic foundation.

That’s why working people and the labor movement have always played a critical role in holding the line against tyranny in all its forms. Whether it’s fighting for the right to organize, demanding fair wages and safe conditions, or standing up for housing, healthcare and climate justice, unions have always been the democratic muscle of this country.

The labor movement has never simply been about wages, benefits and working conditions. It’s always been about power. About making sure that all workers, whether Black, brown, white, immigrant, queer, rural or urban, have a voice in the workplace, in our communities and in the direction of this country.

That’s not radical, it’s the essence of democracy.

But we can’t take any of it for granted. As we’ve seen recently, freedom is no longer a right in this country, it is a privilege.  And privileges can be taken from us at any time. That is why we must continue to fight for our freedom.  It’s earned. It’s protected. And it’s passed on through action.

As we gather with friends and family to enjoy fireworks, food and the joy of community, we should also reflect on the responsibility that freedom demands of us. Democracy requires participation. It doesn’t happen at a distance, or just during elections. It happens when we speak up at city council meetings, when we walk picket lines, when we vote in every election and when we organize our workplaces and neighborhoods to say, “We deserve better.”

Rallies like “No Kings Day” serve a purpose, but they are just a beginning. They’re not the end of our involvement, but a spark. The real work begins after the signs are down and the chants have stopped. It begins when we return to our homes, our unions and our communities and ask, “What more can I do?”

Some of us will knock on doors this fall. Some of us will testify at hearings. Some of us will talk to our coworkers about organizing a union. Some will fight to protect public services from budget cuts or resist authoritarian efforts to roll back civil liberties. Whatever it is, the labor movement will be there because we know that our power is rooted in people coming together, shoulder to shoulder, to make real change.

At the Sacramento Central Labor Council, we believe in that power. And we invite anyone who shares that belief to join us. If you want to be part of a movement that doesn’t just talk about freedom but builds it, there’s a place for you here.

Because in a true democracy, there are no kings. There are no dictators. There are only workers and the work we do together to make this country live up to its highest ideals.