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Last night’s State of the Union Address was one for the books, but not because of Donald Trump. What made it so special was the number of people who banned together in protest before the event even started!

Instead of either being glued to the television or relatively indifferent like many have done in years past, the night before Trump’s SOTU Address artists, activists, and actors came together in New York City and held The People’s State of the Union.

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 29: Actors Gina Gershon (L) and Fisher Stevens speak onstage during The People’s State Of The Union at Town Hall on January 29, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

AV Club reports that New York City Mayor, Bill DiBlasio was a huge supporter of the event and said, “You want to know what the state of the union is? People are fired up. People are awake and alive and activated all over this country. Before the age of Trump, good people talked themselves out of their own power and this age, people recognize their power.”

The event included a performance by Common and Andra Day.

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 29: Recording artists Andra Day performs onstage during The People’s State Of The Union at Town Hall on January 29, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

Another group that made their voices heard was the Congressional Black Caucus. They didn’t create their own event, but rather made a poignant statement right in Trump’s face!

In response to Trump’s “sh*thole countries” comment, they walked into the State of the Union Address looking like a gang of African Ambassadors and they looked good!

There was also a national call to turn off televisions in protest, and the numbers prove it worked! Neilsen reports Trump’s SOTU address was down by 9% in viewership from his last major public speech and he ultimately earned about 48 million viewers across all television networks. This puts his speech at about 4 million fewer viewers than Obama at the same point in his presidency.

And we can’t leave out #MeToo and Roland Martin who each held separate events in Washington, D.C.

Tarana Burke, the founder of the #MeToo movement, Ai-jen Poo, executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and Mónica Ramírez, deputy director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, held their own “State of our Union” on Tuesday night at the National Press Club in D.C. and Roland Martin hosted “The Real State of the Union” at Shiloh Baptist Church, also in Washington, D.C..

TELL US: Did you protest the State of the Union Address?

[PHOTOS] Go Inside The State Of Black America Town Hall
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