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DURHAM -- More than 60 progressive organizations filled the pavilion at Durham Central Park Saturday afternoon to share their works and engage the populace.

Organized by the Peoples Alliance, the Resistance Rodeo event featured live music, crafts and face painting for children, food trucks and a beer tent from Fullsteam Brewery.

We found after the (2016 presidential) election, that a lot of people were reaching out to us to find out ways to get involved, said Magan Thigpen, PA co-president. A lot of people were wanting to take action and step up the level of engagement they had around issues and politics. And we knew that there were lots of other great organizations besides just PA that are doing great work in Durham and we wanted to raise the awareness of all the groups that are doing amazing work and bring together all of our friends friends who we are doing work with. And to provide a space for people across the community to come out and find out about the great progressive works that they can plug into and support.

Support can vary from donating time and talents to financially giving back, she said. PA also wants people to know that while attention on the federal government and its actions are warranted, there are things that people can do to make a positive impact in Durham to make it a model progressive city.

Loan Tran, director of the Triangle-based Youth Organizing Institute and whose preferred pronouns are they/them, said YOI wanted to participate in the event to support young people interested in social change.

YOI is out here today because we are seeing a very clear new political moment emerge, they said. There are literally hundreds of thousands of people who want to get involved who are getting newly politicized or have been demoralized for so long that the new political climate is tipping them over the edge. YOI specifically works with high school students and we felt it was important to be part of the Peoples Alliances Resistance Rodeo today to reach out to the young folks, the high school students, the middle school students, who are seeing all of the issues on the news right in their schools.

Bethany Geib-Rosch was at the event with her family because it was a family-friendly event to talk about social justice.

(We wanted to) connect with other people are interested in equality and being treated equally, she said.

Another family, Glenn, Virginia and Ava Lozuke, attended the event because they were tired of feeling discouraged and hopeless. They wanted to connect with others and capitalize on the great energy.

Its just another chance to create a deeper awareness on current issues, and not necessarily take one side or the other, but offer support for our local community, Glenn said.

The Peoples Alliance asked attendees to share stories about why the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare, matters to them through writing or video to share with members of Congress and to share testimonials about why affordable housing in Durham matters to them that will be shared with the Durham City Council. Attendees were also to voice their opposition to checkpoints and to ask Durham Sheriff Mike Andrews to end all collaboration between local law enforcement and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Helena Cragg, board chair of the LGBTQ Center of Durham, said the organization wanted to participate in the event to support the movement and showcase its Trans and GNC Closet, a place where trans and gender nonconforming individuals are able to receive clothes.

Follow Anna Johnson on Twitter at @anna_m_johnson.

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Progressives rally at People's Alliance 'Resistance Rodeo' at Durham Central Park - Durham Herald Sun