By Maggie LaNoue
Contributing Writer
April 17, 2026
Roughly 25 to 30 people lined the sidewalk in front of the Albion Post Office on Monday, April 13, holding signs reading “No War,” “Dissent,” and “Resist Tyranny” during the latest Moral Monday demonstration. The weekly gathering, which runs from 5 to 6 p.m. through the November midterm elections, drew a larger crowd than the previous week, along with considerably more honking from passing motorists.
The evening was warm and windy — a contrast to the cold and blustery conditions that turned the April 4 Sentinel Saturday event into what organizers called the Umbrella Brigade. A severe thunderstorm warning was in effect for Albion from 6:11 to 7:15 p.m., just minutes after the demonstration concluded.
The demonstrations are part of the nationwide Moral Monday and No Kings movement, which has drawn participants to communities across the country in recent months. In Albion, attendees have included educators, faith leaders and college students.
“It’s important to stand up and speak out,” said Thom Wilch, Albion College professor and director of the Center for Sustainability and the Environment, who brought a group of Albion College students. He added that people can make a difference by attending events like this and contacting their representatives.
One young attendee, Matty, emphasized the value of both public action and personal care: “Go to the protests. Self-care. It’s radical.” Their friend Bonnie Lord, the new editor-in-chief of the Albion College newspaper, also joined the demonstration. She mentioned that their group is participating in a movement called “No Buy 2025” and working more with bartering and trading in communities. “We’ve got an egg guy and a bread guy. We can boycott companies.”
They gathered against a backdrop of a war now in its 44th day. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that in the first 24 hours of the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, no ships passed through, with more than 10,000 U.S. military personnel and 15 warships involved in the operation. As of Tuesday afternoon, the BBC reported that tracking data showed at least four ships linked to Iran had since crossed the waterway, as the president said talks with Iran could resume within two days. The Wall Street Journal also quoted Sen. Jim Justice of West Virginia, warning that every additional day of conflict makes it harder “for people to understand why we’re there,” adding that rising energy prices could complicate Republican chances in November’s midterm elections.
Michigan drivers felt those energy costs at the pump. According to AAA, the state average for regular unleaded reached $3.98 per gallon on April 13 — up 88 cents from the same time last year. In Albion, prices climbed to $4.19 per gallon earlier in the week before easing to $3.69 by Monday.
The holiday weekend preceding the demonstration had generated its own turbulence. On Easter Sunday, April 5, the president posted on Truth Social, threatening to destroy Iranian power plants and bridges, in language the Wall Street Journal covered in its news reporting that day. The following morning, he posted a further threat referencing Iran’s civilization. One week later, the Wall Street Journal reported that an AI-generated image the president posted to Truth Social depicting himself as a Christ-like figure triggered what the Journal described as the most significant pushback from his Catholic and evangelical Christian supporters since he returned to the White House.
On Easter Sunday, Pope Leo XIV — a Chicago native and the first American-born pope — delivered his Urbi et Orbi address from St. Peter’s Square, calling on world leaders to lay down their weapons and choose peace through dialogue rather than force.
Also on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that two members of Congress said they planned to exit Congress in the wake of sexual-misconduct allegations that sparked calls for them to quit or face expulsion votes — Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California and Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas.
In Hungary, the BBC reported that opposition leader Péter Magyar won a landslide victory over Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who had received a campaign visit from U.S. Vice President JD Vance just five days before the vote.
The week also marked a moment of national pride. NASA’s Artemis II mission, which concluded April 11, carried four astronauts on a ten-day lunar flyby — the first crewed flight beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972 and the farthest humans have ever traveled from Earth. The crew also photographed regions of the moon’s far side never before seen by human eyes. Upon returning, Commander Reid Wiseman told Fox News, “It’s a special thing to be human, and it’s a special thing to be on planet Earth.”
The Moral Monday demonstrations continue every Monday from 5 to 6 p.m. on the sidewalk outside the Albion Post Office. The first Saturday of each month, a Sentinel Saturday gathering runs from noon to 1 p.m.
