“No one tells Boston how to take care of our own, not kings, and not presidents who think they are kings… God save whoever messes with Boston.”
— Mayor Michelle Wu
Welcome to
Hands Off Massachusetts!
We’re so glad you’re here! This event has been organized by a volunteer team fully committed to peace, safety, and nonviolence. We ask you to participate in that spirit.
We’re expecting a lot of people today! We have power in our numbers, and we must also have care for each other. Throughout the day, and especially as we’re marching and entering City Hall Plaza, please be aware of everyone around you. Being patient and maintaining space will help keep everyone safe.
Hands Off organizers are in contact with the Boston Police and they will be present at Hands Off to help control the flow of traffic. Unless there is an imminent threat of violence (highly unlikely!), we ask you to seek a vested/arm-banded volunteer before the police.
Please read on for more information to help you have a positive experience today. And remember: this is just the beginning! There are resources below to help you stay engaged in the fight for our collective future.
Schedule
10:00-11:00: Crowd gathers. Chanting, music, making new friends.
11:00: Welcome and Kick-Off
11:15: Let’s take the street! Crowd gets ready to march.
11:25: March steps off.
12:30: Arrive at City Hall
Now also featuring a performance by the
Dropkick Murphys!
Looking for something to do right after the rally?
Consider Sunrise Boston’s How to End an Oligarchy Teach-In at the Community Church of Boston (565 Boylston Street) starting at 2:30 pm. Vegan snacks provided with help from Plan Based Treaty!)
Accessibility Notes on the March
After a brief speaking segment on the Common, the .5-mile march will begin at approximately 11:25 am and arrive at approximately 12:30 pm. The march route will be accessible, with curb-cuts for transitions from marching on sidewalks to the street. It is also possible to take the T from Boston Common to Government Center, which is a wheelchair accessible station.
Speakers
MC: Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, Founder, New Roots AME Church
MC: Rahsaan D. Hall, President and CEO, Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts
Senator Ed Markey
Ayanna Pressley, U.S. Representative for Massachusetts's 7th congressional district
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu
Jaya Savita, Executive Director, Asian Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network (APIs CAN)
Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll
Carol Rose, Executive Director, ACLU Massachusetts
Chrissy Lynch, President, AFL-CIO Massachusetts
Jessica Tang, President, The American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts
Richard F. Couture, President, American Federation of Government Employees, Council 215
Reggi Alkiewicz, Civic Engagement Coordinator, North American Indian Center of Boston
Chastity Bowick, Founder, TransResistance & Former Executive Director of the Transgender Emergency Fund of Massachusetts
Dr. Kylie Ariel Bemis, Athlete Advocate, Rising Hearts
Safety & Solidarity Guidelines
Stick with a buddy or your group.
Make a plan in case you get separated.
Be aware of your surroundings (who is around you, where exit paths are located, etc.)
Embrace the joy of community and generosity of spirit. Introduce yourself to a fellow marcher.
Be alert rather than fearful.
Singing a song together is the best way to calm a group of people.
Ignore agitators and stay focused on democracy. If you encounter an agitator, walk away, deny them fuel and attention, and encourage others to do the same.
Walk with linked arms to show our solidarity.
Clean up after yourself.
Maintain space and be patient on the transition to City Hall Plaza.
Chants & Songs
Feel like singing and chanting? Go right ahead! Here are some we especially like:
“Hey Hey, Ho Ho:
Trump and Musk Have Got To Go!”
“What do we want? Democracy!
When do we want it? Now!”
“Ain’t no power like the power of the people,
’cause the power of the people don’t stop!
Say what?!”
“Tell me what democracy looks like!
This is what democracy looks like!”
“Hey, hey, whaddaya say?
Democracy is here to stay!”
“No hate, no fear, trans kids
are welcome here!”
“No hate, no fear, immigrants
are welcome here!”
To the tune of “We Will Rock You”:
“We will, we will, BLOCK YOU!
We will, we will, STOP YOU!”
“Whose streets? Our streets!”
SONGS:
This Little Light of Mine
From the Civil Rights Movement:
We Shall Overcome
We Shall Not be Moved
Staying Involved, Safely
We hope you’ll stay involved in the fight for democracy. When you consider attending future actions, we encourage you to assess your safety concerns through two lenses: YOU and the ENVIRONMENT.
YOU: Consider whether your identity or status (e.g., race, immigration status) may put you at risk and assess your tolerance for exposure. Also consider safety factors such as:
Is an event during the day or after dark?
Is an event stated as non-violent?
What is the likelihood of agitators outnumbering us at this event?
Using this formulation, you would determine that today’s event is during the day, explicitly non-violent, and if there are any agitators, we would greatly outnumber them.
After making these considerations you can make adjustments such as:
Deciding how visually identifiable you want to be.
Deciding how secure you want to make your phone.
Learning the National Lawyers Guild MA phone number: 617-433-8353
We encourage you to review and share:
Stay Involved
Hands Off! Massachusetts represents diverse movements, organizations, and philosophies. Some of us have been resisting oppression our whole lives; others are mobilizing for the first time. All are welcome. Though our goals, tactics, and experiences vary, we are united in the belief that Trump, Musk, and MAGA must be stopped. Organizing collectively around that shared goal will enable us to build power and take action from our homes, workplaces, and the streets. Together, WE are the movement this moment needs.
As individuals, we must pace ourselves to resist as long as it takes so we can continue to show up for each other. Here are some starting points for building our collective resistance muscles.
Commit to taking action on a regular basis, even in small ways.
Think about the time, skills, and resources you can bring to organizing, as well as the populations and issues you are suited to work on.
Identify ways to be a bridge between larger groups and your personal network so you can mobilize people for actions and events.
Identify 1-2 social movements or organizations to align with so you can focus your time and energy efficiently and effectively. There are highly accomplished organizations across Massachusetts that you can get involved with. The list of today’s co-sponsoring organizations below is to look for a place where you can make a difference and stay involved.
| Type of Organization | Scale | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Climate / Environment | Local | Brookhaven Resident’s Climate Change Committee |
| Climate / Environment | Local | Climate Action Now Western Mass |
| Climate / Environment | Local | Sunrise Boston |
| Climate / Environment | State | 350 MASS |
| Climate / Environment | State | Clean Water Action |
| Climate / Environment | State | Global Warming Solutions IE-PAC |
| Climate / Environment | State | Mothers Out Front Massachusetts |
| Climate / Environment | State | Third Act MA |
| Climate / Environment | State | Trees as a Public Good Network |
| Climate / Environment | State, National | Sierra Club MA |
| Community | Local | Canton Residents For Sustainable Equitable Future |
| Community Safety, immigrant rights | Local | Safe Medford |
| Democracy | Local | Committee to Protect Our Democracy |
| Democracy | Local | Franklin Democratic Town Committee |
| Democracy | Local | Greater Andover Indivisible |
| Democracy | Local | Greylock Together (Indivisible) |
| Democracy | Local | Hull Democratic Town Committee |
| Democracy | Local | Indivisible LAB |
| Democracy | Local | Indivisible MA Metrowest CD5 |
| Democracy | Local | Indivisible Martha’s Vineyard |
| Democracy | Local | Indivisible Melrose, Wakefield Plus |
| Democracy | Local | Indivisible Outer Cape |
| Democracy | Local | Medfield Democratic Town Committee |
| Democracy | Local | Medford People Power |
| Democracy | Local | Progressive Massachusetts Western Norfolk County |
| Democracy | Local | Reclaim Our Democracy |
| Democracy | Local | Rise Up Western Mass Indivisible |
| Democracy | Local | Swing Left Jamaica Plain |
| Democracy | National | Vote4Change.info; Swing Blue Alliance, Metro Boston Indivisible Coalition |
| Democracy | State, National | PDA Massachusetts Chapter |
| Democracy | State, National | Third Act Massachusetts |
| Democracy | Local | Indivisible West Quabbin |
| Democracy | Local | League of Women Voters of Marblehead |
| Democracy | Local | Millis Democratic Town Committee |
| Democracy | Local | Somerville Democratic City Committee |
| Democracy | Local, State, National | Indivisible Northampton-Swing Left Western MA |
| Democracy | Local, State, National | March Forward Quincy/Indivisible Quincy |
| Democracy | National | Left of Center |
| Disability Justice | Local, State, National | DisRupt Massachusetts |
| Education | State | American Federation of Teachers, Massachusetts (AFT MA) |
| Education | State | Citizens for Public Schools |
| Education | State | Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance |
| Education | State | Massachusetts Teachers Association |
| Faith | Local | Church of the Covenant |
| Faith | Local | Congregation B'nai Israel Tikkun Olam Committee |
| Faith | Local | Congregation B'nai Israel Tikkun Olam Democracy Action Team |
| Faith | Local | Cornucopia Collective |
| Faith | Local | First Parish Hingham Unitarian Universalist, Old Ship Church |
| Faith | Local | First Parish in Bedford |
| Faith | Local | First Parish Unitarian Universalist-Canton: A Neponset River Unitarian Universalist Community |
| Faith | Local | First Parish Watertown |
| Faith | Local | Follen Church, Unitarian Universalist |
| Faith | Local | The Social Justice Committees First Parish Brookline |
| Faith | Local | Unitarian Universalist First Area church in Sherborn (UUAC) |
| Faith | Local | Unitarian Universalist Meeting of South Berkshire |
| Faith | Local | Unitarian Universalist Society of Wellesley Hills |
| Faith | State | Episcopal City Mission |
| Faith | State | JALSA Impact |
| Faith | Local | First Churches of Northampton Peace & Justice Action Tram |
| Faith | Local | Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst |
| Faith & Climate | Local | First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton Climate Action Task Force |
| Faith and Climate Action | State | Jewish Climate Action Network - MA |
| Faith and Democracy | State | National Council of Jewish Women - Massachusetts |
| Faith and Justice | Local | Worcester Congregations for Climate and Environmental Justice |
| Faith community | Local | Defending Democracy Working Group at First Parish Unitarian Universalist Arlington |
| Grassroots Protect Democracy | Local | Nauset Citizens Alliance |
| Gun Violence Prevention Grassroots | State | Grassroots4GVP |
| Health | State | Climate Code Blue |
| Health | State | Massachusetts Families for Vaccines |
| Immigrant organizing | State | Center to Support Immigrant Organizing/Equity Now & Beyond |
| Justice | Local | Chelsea Uniting Against the War |
| Justice | Local | INDIVISIBLE MA Metrowest & District 5 |
| Justice | Local | Trans Resistance MA |
| Justice | National | Americans for Refugees & Immigrants |
| Justice | State | Ocean River Institute, Inc |
| Justice, Democracy | Local | Neponset Valley Progressives |
| Justice, Immigrants Rights | Local, State | MIRA Coalition |
| Justice/Cultural | Local | Boston Workers Circle |
| Labor | Local | IBEW Local 2222 |
| Labor | Local, State | American Federation of Teachers |
| Labor | State | Brazilian Women's Group |
| Labor | State, National | Federal Unionists Network |
| Labor & community | Local | Community Labor United |
| Labor Community coalition | Local | Somerville Stands Together |
| Local Civic Engagement | Local | Neighbors In Action (Westwood) |
| Local Political Committee | Local | Cambridge Democratic City Committee |
| Multi-issue | Local | Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution |
| Multi-issue | Local | Northampton Resists! |
| Multi-issue | State | Our Revolution Massachusetts |
| Peace & Justice | National | Western Mass CODEPINK |
| Politics | Local | Somerville Democratic City Committee |
| Politics | Local, State | Gloucester Democratic City Committee |
| Politics | State | Massachusetts Democratic Party |
| Politics | State | Young Democrats of Massachusetts |
| Progressive Advocacy | State | Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts |
| Progressive Democracy | State, National | Progressive Democrats of America |
| Publishing/Free Speech | National | Authors Against Book Bans |
| Reproductive Rights | State, National | Vote Pro-Choice |
| Science Communication | Food Matters Multimedia | |
| Scientific Research/Public Health | National | Stand Up for Science |