On Sunday, February 1st, 2026, we held our Procrastinators Holiday Party in the Parish Hall at the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Newton. The event began with a toast to Newton Indivisible.
We began in December 2024 after the Presidential election. When we asked the small group gathered on Zoom to share their feelings, faces were grim. Many answered “Devastated”, “Terrified,” and “Worried for the most vulnerable.” Yet we also shared a common belief that we could work together to oppose the MAGA agenda and that there were many others in Newton who would join us.
We met again on Zoom in January and took our first action in February, attending the Stop the Steal” Rally on Boston Common. By the end of the month, our small group numbering in the teens had grown to 61 residents of Newton or nearby communities. We formed a Steering Committee and published a newsletter.
In preparation for the “Hands Off Rally,” we held an Art Build. People made posters and also cut out large white letters. The two foot letters are made to be taped to black posterboard which is hung on the chain link fence along bridges above the Turnpike and Route 128/95.
Here is one of those Bridge Brigade teams displaying its message on the Kendrick Street overpass every Thursday morning. Teams also post on Lewis Terrace and Highland Street. They are one of our most resilient Action Teams – out in all kinds of weather, transmitting messages of courage and resistance to thousands of commuters with each shift. Join them!
In March our Stand Out Action Team began weekly rallies in Newton Center every Saturday. Here’s one group at an early rally, and as the word got out, the government overreached, motivated people to get out to protest.
By the “Hands Off” rally in April, we were getting really sizable crowds, as you can see from the number of demonstrators listening to Senator Ed Markey. Enough of slides of rallies for a while because most of you probably attended No Kings Day in June, and No Kings Day 2 in October. We’re now preparing for No Kings Day 3, coming on March 28.
We organized more Action Teams, including Elections, Immigrant Rights, and others. Our Laughtivism Team formed after a guest speaker convinced us of the importance of using humor to make our point. Here is Karen Bray at her booth, which offers cures for our ailing democracy for 5 Cents.
Our members also participated in boycotts and standouts in the Boston area and beyond. Here are our members at the Tesla takedown.
The campaign against Avelo Airlines persuaded it to stop ferrying ICE prisoners. This campaign was so successful that Rachel Maddow featured it on her show.
Here’s one last slide showing a huge protest. It’s a scene from the film we screened at our meeting last November called Bringing Down a Dictator, which tells the story of how a resistance group called OTPOR! spearheaded the fall of Serbian dictator Milosevic, and this scene shows the massive celebration of their victory.
We have built our Newton Indivisible group to over 1,000 members, and these numbers are typical of the growth of groups across Massachusetts and the rest of the U.S.; even in foreign countries, there are Indivisible groups. We are building alliances with other groups like the ACLU, unions, and climate groups. As we have learned, it is not easy, nor is it swift, but one day we will be celebrating together the overthrow of an authoritarian leader, giving us the chance to rebuild and strengthen our democracy. Thank you all for being part of this resistance.
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