type: timeline_event
On March 22, 2026, organizers confirmed that Sen. Bernie Sanders would headline the flagship No Kings rally at the Minnesota State Capitol on March 28. The event was positioned as the centerpiece of the nationwide day of protest, with Minnesota chosen for its significance as the epicenter of the ICE enforcement killings that had catalyzed the movement.
The rally lineup reflected the convergence of elected officials, labor leaders, cultural figures, and activist organizations that had come to define the No Kings coalition. Joining Sanders were Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Attorney General Keith Ellison, both of whom had been among the earliest state officials to challenge the administration's immigration enforcement operations. Actress and activist Jane Fonda and folk icon Joan Baez were announced as featured speakers, alongside singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers.
The labor movement's top leadership was also confirmed for the stage. AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, SEIU President April Verrett, and AFT President Randi Weingarten would all address the crowd, underscoring organized labor's central role in the resistance coalition. The presence of three major union presidents at a single rally event was described by labor historians as highly unusual and indicative of the depth of labor's commitment to the movement.
Three separate march routes were planned to converge on the State Capitol, each originating from a different neighborhood in the Twin Cities metro area. Organizers expected the Minnesota event alone to draw hundreds of thousands of participants, with extensive security coordination involving state and local law enforcement, trained volunteer marshals, and legal observer teams stationed along each route.