From climate activists to immigrant rights organizers, two dozen state-based organizations united to execute Boston’s second No Kings protest in Copley Square Oct. 18.
The event joined a larger series of nationwide protests opposing the Trump administration. Groups with a variety of focus areas gathered to address social, economic and environmental issues.
“Protests like this are important because it sends a signal to the people we are protesting that we will not sit back quietly and let democracy be undermined,” Rahsaan Hall, the protest’s emcee and president of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, said.
The three primary organizers of the protest — Mass 50501, the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts and Indivisible Mass Coalition — partnered with organizations to include “action tables,” so people could learn to sustain activism beyond the event, said Rebecca Winter, executive director of Mass 50501.
“These days of action are great for rallying people together and for solidarity, but we really need to keep pressure on Washington every single day for us to be successful,” Winter said.
Organizations showed up to advocate for and support communities affected by the Trump administration’s policies regarding immigration, education, housing and climate.
La Colaborativa, an organization that supports Latinx immigrant communities in Greater Boston by providing social and economic support to families, attended the event. Director of Impact Philip White said the group joined to spread safety information, recruit volunteers and protest recent activity by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Regardless of someone’s legal citizenship, White said, if someone is “in the wrong place at the wrong time and a shade too dark,” there’s a possibility they could be detained.
“By the time you get back after six weeks, you’ve missed rent, you haven’t shown up to your job and you have to start from scratch all over again,” White said. “It’s setting people back by decades.”
Among other groups attending was the Educational Freedom Project, a student-led coalition founded at Northeastern University aimed at safeguarding higher education by holding institutions accountable. Members protesting said education has been threatened under Trump’s second term.
Their members worked to garner support for a petition calling for educational reforms at Northeastern, which includes administration transparency, student support and greater speech rights on campus at the protest.
“I have an obligation to fight for [higher education] to be what I know that it can be,” Jenssen Sebree, an EFP member and senior at Northeastern, said.
Fred Davis, president of the Massachusetts Climate Action Network, said that despite the Trump administration’s “anti-science” rhetoric, it’s important to note the majority of Americans do believe climate change is real and needs to be addressed. MCAN primarily advocates for various state-wide legislations involving the climate and decarbonization efforts.
“Even though loud people are saying things loudly, never believe that it’s true or that other people believe it,” Davis said.
Homes for All Massachusetts, a coalition of tenant organizing groups, aimed to connect to a country-wide movement and strengthen the Commonwealth through protesting, said Executive Director Carolyn Chou.
“Stabilizing our communities, making sure working class people can stay in our cities and towns and limit[ing] the way corporate landlords can exploit tenants and everyday people is a critical part of how we build a strong movement and fight for democracy,” Chou said.
Social worker Annie Bonadio said since Trump took office, the people she serves have faced even greater hardship.
“I’ve seen food pantries running out of food within the first 20 minutes. I’m seeing people suffer from chronic homelessness [and] having no outlets,” she said. “We’ve lost the ability to give people subsidies for their housing.”
Bonadio said her patriotism and protection of her rights motivated her to protest.
“The crux of America is being able to come out and protest when you think that your government is corrupt. So we’re executing our rights here,” she said. “We love this country, and we want it to serve its people, and it’s not serving its people right now.
