Susan Stevens sat cross-legged in front of the crowd, a pride flag tucked into one side of her lap and an “Americans Against Oligarchy” sign on the other. Her brimmed hat held a “No Kings” button and a flower as she looked up at the rally around her, waving jazz hands in support.
Stevens, who lives in Sanbornton, was one of a few hundred people who gathered in Concord on Friday to celebrate May Day and International Workers Day, which honors workers’ rights and the labor movement.
The rally took on an anti-Trump flavor, with many attendees holding “No Kings” and pro-democracy signs.
“We need more actual people showing up against the billionaires and the oligarchs and the mess that the Trump administration is creating,” Stevens said.
Speakers who addressed the crowd spoke of collective power and urged people to take action, both against the Trump administration and state legislative efforts that they argued will limit the rights of immigrants, LGBTQ people and other minorities.
Grace Kindeke, an activist with the New Hampshire Center for Justice & Equity, asked people to oppose House Bill 1499 and House Bill 1709, which would add more grounds for landlords to evict tenants and prohibit undocumented immigrants from owning or renting property in New Hampshire, as well as bills to add voting restrictions for college students.
People in power are “testing how much control they can take,” Kindeke said, and she sought to motivate the public to show up for public hearings, vote in elections and contact their lawmakers.
“Our solidarity is stronger than their fear,” Kindeke said. “Our collective power is stronger than their money. Our vision for a liberated future is stronger than their politics of division.”
