By Shaun Robinson and Diana Leane
The Boston Common bandstand hosted chants and calls to action for progressive causes Tuesday night, an outlier in an otherwise-quiet Downtown as polls closed across the state and the first results of the 2020 election began to be reported.
Local progressive groups rallied to show their commitment to fighting for workers’ rights, climate justice and racial equity long after ballots were counted. About 50 people showed up in the 30-degree weather, bundled in coats and masks and bumping elbows to greet one another.
“Now is the time to be out here in the streets fighting for change, fighting for the things that we believe in, because we are the future,” Kevin Peterson, founder of the New Democracy Coalition, told the crowd from the bandstand platform. “Whether [Joe] Biden or [Donald] Trump is in office at the end of the week, we still have work to do.”
Several storefronts near the Park Street station on Tremont Street were boarded up Tuesday night. Sidewalks were mostly empty, and beyond the rally, the park was quiet enough to hear the sound of rats picking through a trash can.
Organizers strung banners that read, “Youth reclaiming our future,” “Our voices count” and “No liberation without revolution.” They collected donations of canned goods and handed out free food, cider and hand warmers.
Freedom Fighters Coalition, a local group described as anti-capitalist and anti-hate, and Sunrise Boston, the city’s chapter of the nationwide Sunrise Movement for climate justice, organized the rally with several other community groups.
Peterson, whose organization promotes civic engagement, initiated a chant among the crowd: “Together we stand, divided we fall.” He said it is important to push Boston officials to enact reforms such as renaming Faneuil Hall, which has historical ties to the slave trade.
“We stand here tonight with our heads high,” Peterson said. “We stand knowing that there is a bright side somewhere. We can win. We stand here knowing that we can foster a greater democracy, we can foster a society where racism is put down.”
Liora Silkes, an organizer with Sunrise Boston, said after months of campaigning and endorsements, the organization is committed to continuing its fight for progressive causes.
“That’s why we’re gathering here,” Silkes said, “to make sure that we’re celebrating what we’ve done so far, and that we’re in community for whatever may come in the future.”
Lloyd Clarke, a Malden resident, said the speakers’ words about police violence and systemic racism against Black Americans made him concerned for the future of the country.
“The next few days, even though one of the two ends up being president, I feel like there’s going to be some problems down the road,” Clarke said of the election. “We should, as a community, eliminate these problems by voicing and addressing these issues.”
Maren Wilson, a science teacher at Boston Public Schools, said she feels “a little bit in limbo” about the week following the election and is expecting both anger and support for justice as results are revealed.
“I’ve been having a lot of conversations with students, and it’s kind of hard to toe the line of processing on my own and then also processing with 10-year-olds,” said Wilson, who resides in Jamaica Plain. “It’s a really hard moment to think forward, but I think it’s really powerful to be listening to people who are still thinking forward.”
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