On Oct. 18, approximately 1,100 people, including over 150 students from the college, gathered on the Middlebury Town Green from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. for a “No Kings” rally organized by Indivisible Middlebury, joining nationwide protests opposing the Trump administration. The BBC reported that nearly seven million people participated in similar demonstrations across the country.
Prior to the rally, students gathered at the Middlebury Chapel to chant and march to the Town Green together, where they merged with the crowd of community members. The students were led by Will Hinkle ’26 and Ninive Calegari ’26, who spent the past month mobilizing those who wanted to get involved with the rally. Student volunteers in orange safety vests accompanied the march, as passing cars honked in support.
Five local speakers, from State Reps. Jubilee McGill and Amy Shelden to Middlebury lawyer Tad Powers, addressed the crowd from the Town Green bandstand. Farhad Khan, owner of The Dollar Market, Middlebury Select Board member and two-time president of the Islamic Society of Vermont, spoke about his experience as a Brown man in Vermont and his hopes for change in the country.
“No Kings Day reminds us dignity should never be compromised,” Khan said. “No one should be treated like a suspect simply for existing. We are not asking for special treatment, we are asking to be heard and respected.”
Lincoln resident Reverend Co'Relous Bryant, the final speaker of the event, urged the crowd to continue to show up and raise their voices to protect democracy, bringing tears to many in attendance.
“We know how to do this,” Bryant said. “It’s not the first time our nation has lost our way and it’s been people of good will willing to stand up and come together that’s pulled us back from the brink and it’s time to do it again.”
He invoked the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of American ideals under attack from the Trump administration.
“Lady Liberty is tired of being lied on. She says: ‘I meant it when we said we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with unalienable rights. Yeah, I meant that,’ she says,” Bryant said to the crowd.
Bryant ended his speech and the official rally by urging the crowd to keep fighting tyranny and to hold compassion close to their hearts.
For community members and students alike who have felt unsure how to navigate these times, the rally provided a sense of mission. Myrah Valmyr ’27 believed the protest was an important step to moving away from general passivity.
“[This] is like a morale boost — like a ‘No, keep going.’ If you think your efforts individually aren’t doing anything, look at how much space we can take up physically, emotionally, and mentally,” Valmyr said. “I want to see familiar faces, I want familiar faces to see mine, and remember that we’re all in solidarity with each other.”
A number of protestors emphasized that the movement was not intended to be partisan, and they hoped to build a coalition across the political spectrum.
“The name of the event is No Kings, but really what we're standing in solidarity for is pro-democracy, freedom of speech, respect for our values of the melting pot of America and bringing everyone together,” Hinkle said.
The crowd was filled with dozens of unique costumes, from monarch butterfly wings to leggings donning Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s face to paper maché costumes of President Donald Trump. Lynn Austin and Richard Short of Middlebury, two self-identified history fanatics, dressed up in Revolutionary-era outfits.
“We are against what's happening to our democracy and we decided to get dressed in what people wore last time there was a king in power,” Austin said.
Others found symbolism in the American flag.
“I resent the fact that the MAGA republicans have kind of hijacked the American flag as a symbol when it is a symbol that is for our entire country, which means all of the people,” Middlebury resident Amy Beaupré said. “So I really want to show that the American Flag is something for all of us, and it’s for all Americans and represents all Americans.”
In addition to donning red, white and blue, many protesters were decked out in yellow. One participant dressed as a bee and carried a duck stuffed animal. The color was intended to represent bipartisanship and peaceful neutrality.
Among the more striking visuals was a mechanized puppet of Elon Musk, crafted by an artist who identified himself only as “Omar.” He said he travels the country creating politically themed art pieces, and hopes these pieces send a message to President Trump.
“It’s clear that Trump and his cronies are feeling the pressure — the fact that they’re preemptively referring to peaceful protesters out today as terrorists tells you that they’re scared,” Omar said. “They want to project power, but they don’t have as much power as they’re projecting. The more numbers we show, the more powerful we are and the weaker they are.”
Organizers hope that the rally was just a first step towards further action.
“We want to inspire a sense of hope, a sense of power and momentum that we can then take to contact our legislators and continue making a statement to the current administration,” Hinkle said.
Several protesters told The Campus they saw this moment and the coming months as pivotal for the country's future and stressed the importance of acting sooner rather than later.
“This is a time that we’re going to look back on and think about which side of history we were on,” Valmyr said. “It’s less about how it looks than how you’re going to live with yourself afterwards.”
Editor’s Note: Charlotte Roberts ’25.5 contributed reporting to this article.
Noor Khan '28 (she/her) is a Layout Editor.
Noor is a History major and studies French. She was an editorial intern at the Los Altos Town Crier for the summer of 2025.
