Baby Boomers are “Takin’ it to the Streets”
SUE Lyon-Myrick
50plus Magazine
I am no stranger to showing up for change. I started attending protests in New York City in my twenties. I even managed to unknowingly end up on the front page of The New York Times the first time I marched — so much for anonymity.
Fast-forward to 2025, I live in the PNW and am in my early 60s. Americans are now showing up, here and across the country, in record numbers to call for change. While earlier protests were often led by younger generations, recent demonstrations have had a marked increase in “gray” participants. I saw this firsthand, finding myself in a sea of boomers at the April 5 protest in downtown Portland.
Older adults in America know about protests. Born beginning in 1946, early baby boomers would have been teens and young adults during the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. They grew up in an era when it was nearly impossible to miss coverage of the protests. Some no doubt participated. Now they are showing up in force to voice their concerns.
“Oh, you, telling me the things
You’re gonna do for me
I ain’t blind and I don’t like
what I think I see”
Most boomers recognize these lyrics. The song, “Takin’ it to the Streets,” was a hit for The Doobie Brothers in 1976. It debuted the year after the end of the Vietnam War, and it is experiencing a resurgence as Americans again march to express their views.
What are their concerns?
Having lived a lot of life, older Americans have built careers and families. Retirement is a big part of their lives (whether planning for or living it). It takes money to retire, which is one clue to their concerns. A recent article in Newsweek stated, “Experts suggest that baby boomers’ disapproval may stem from concerns about inflation and the impact of new tariffs.” For many, their concerns go beyond self-interest.
Joan G, a PNW native born in 1960, shares that she “was protesting [April 5] because for the first time in my life, young women have fewer rights than I do. Like Joni Mitchell told us so long ago. . . ‘You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.’”
Another attendee of the April 5 protest in Portland, Joanne A carried a sign reading, “All the Reasons for My Outrage Cannot Fit on this Sign.” She says, “This was the only protest march that I felt strongly enough to participate in since the 2017 January Women’s March, which I attended in Washington DC.”
Regardless of their individual reasons, the boomer generation is showing up and speaking out. They are concerned, motivated, and eager to lend their voices to support the things that matter to them. Some say older adults are invisible, but they are now being seen and heard.
Sue Lyon-Myrick works at Woloshin Communications where she enjoys helping seniors create their best lives as they age. Reach her at sue@woloshin.com.