Evanston’s 4th of July Parade as Runway for Resistance

An image of Sid Yiddish.

This Fourth of July, Evanston residents dressed for the United States they want. Frustrated by the U.S. government, they opted to express their personal values via their wardrobe choices.

Friday, in a beloved annual tradition, hundreds of Evanston residents crowded along Central Street with colorful attire and foldable chairs for Evanston’s 103rd Fourth of July parade. As various local businesses, schools and nonprofits performed in the parade, the audience resounded in applause and cheers. 

However, many of this year’s parade attendees explained that their celebrations were not in honor of the nation’s current administration or policies. Instead, they embraced values like family, freedom, and gratitude through their choice of attire. 

Joe Purrillo, 39, attended the parade in a light blue t-shirt with the words “Bigfoot for president” scrawled across it. Purrillo said that the statement piece was his “favorite shirt ever”. 

Purrillo elaborated, “The current political climate is a little bit wrong, so I am a big fan of this [shirt] because I’d rather have [bigfoot] than what we have now by a wide margin. Bigfoot would be a billion times better than the current [president] we got.”

In spite of his opposition toward the current presidency, Purrillo was still excited to celebrate the Fourth of July and attend the parade for the first time. He noted that today was about “Just being with [his] family” and “the ability to have freedom to talk and feel what [he] wants.”

Similar to Purrillo, Alan Saleski, a professor at Loyola University, expressed his feelings through a bold t-shirt. Donning a grey shirt with white block letters spelling “Don’t erase history” on it, Saleski explained people needed to read his shirt Friday “and remember that Trump is trying to change history and it’s wrong and immoral.”

However, Saleski still said he felt grateful “just to be alive.” When asked what he was celebrating on the fourth, Saleski pointed out, “We are not in Gaza. We are not in the ‘Kraine. We are a small part of the world population, so we are lucky to be alive today.”

Taking his outfit to the next level, Sid Yiddish arrived at the parade in a head-to-toe Uncle Sam costume. “Uncle Sam symbolizes peace and love, and positivity for America because right now, we’re in such a state of despair and disruption,” Yiddish said. 

Yiddish described his outfit as one of his “personal revolutions” to spread positivity. He explained that his other “revolutionary” actions on the holiday included encouraging parade goers to wave their flags, say hello to each other, and hug. More broadly, he has also run for president in every election since 2016.

When asked what he hoped to accomplish through a presidency, Yiddish answered, “I’d promote more positivity…I would definitely promote positivity, peace, love, joy, because that’s what the world needs right now.”

Nancy Pruski, a 74-year-old local activist, spent the parade encouraging attendees to “protect democracy.” This Fourth, Purrillo, Saleski and Yiddish embraced the values they hoped to see in their government, embodying Pruski’s words that “democracy is not a spectator sport.”