An estimated 150 people gathered on the lawn in front of Wellesley Town Hall on Oct. 17 for a No Kings rally encouraging residents to vote on the first day of early voting in Massachusetts. Following the rally, attendees were encouraged to vote early at Town Hall.
Wellesley residents, organizers wearing orange vests, families with children, and college students filled the leaf-covered lawn Saturday and held signs up while passing drivers honked in support. The rally was organized and supported by the League of Women Voters Wellesley, Neighbors United Indivisible, the Immigration Justice Group at Temple Beth Elohim, the Social Action Council of UU Wellesley Hills, and the World of Wellesley.
The rally aimed to encourage residents to vote and remind them of the importance of participating in democracy, said organizer Raina McManus, who served on Wellesley’s Natural Resource Commission for eight years.
“We hope to remind people to vote and to let them know why it’s so important that they vote,” McManus said.
For McManus, organizing a rally in her community was an important part of that message.
“I feel like democracy begins at home, and people just need to come out in the local streets and remind their neighbors how important this is,” she said.
“A king is the opposite of a democracy,” said McManus. “So I would say no kings to preserve our democracy.”
Some who attended the rally said they came to express concerns about the direction of the country and the Trump administration.
“I think they’re acting not in accordance with what this country needs, or democracy, and I want to stand up and say that,” student Sara Gabelnick said.
Gabelnick said she had been concerned about the possibility of President Donald Trump winning reelection, recalling that she felt worried even during his first term.
“The second I heard the results, I knew there needed to be action,” she said.
Scott Clark, a rally attendee, said he is concerned about the country’s direction and the future facing younger generations. He said he was concerned about how much attention is on political disputes rather than larger issues such as the environment and the national deficit.
“The environment we’re creating for our kids and their kids and our future generations… [they are] gonna have to pay the price,” Clark said. “We’re better than this.”
