'It’s a time when we need to stand together with our community, arm-in-arm, and continue to fight for what is right'
Saturday’s cold and rain didn’t keep people away from the The People’s Rally in Norristown.
The weekend afternoon event took place in conjunction with The People’s March, formerly known as The Women’s March, in Washington, D.C., ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony on Monday.
“This is a rally to let our county and our state know that we do not accept some of the changes that have been proposed by the president and we stand for a different America,” said state Sen. Art Haywood, D-4th Dist.
Attendees called the event too important to miss.
“I don’t think there was another choice,” said Nicole Meyer, of Boyertown.
“It’s cold and it’s wet. I think we’d all like to just stay under the covers with a sense of impending doom, but now is not the time when we need to be quiet. It’s a time when we need to stand together with our community, arm in arm and continue to fight for what is right,” said Sue-Ann DiVito, community outreach coordinator with the Montgomery County Democratic Committee.
Holding signs and umbrellas, people wore hats and coats as they stood outside the Montgomery County Courthouse while elected officials, experts and advocates took to the courthouse steps to speak on key issues pertaining to abortion, diversity, equity and inclusion, the economy, as well as immigrant and transgender rights.
“We’re here for my daughter, who doesn’t have the same rights that I had when I was her age. She’s not even 2 yet,” said state Sen. Amanda Cappelletti, D-17th Dist.
“We are here to demand a future where loving who you love and being who you are is not an act of bravery, it’s an act of being,” said Naiymah Sanchez, the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania’s trans justice coordinator, adding that “immigrants are not a threat. They are the backbone to our nation.”
The suburban rally was organized by Community for Change lead organizer Stephanie Vincent and PA Women Rise lead organizer Danielle Kwock Phillips. Both have been focusing on social and racial justice work over the last six years. When outlining priorities for Saturday’s event, Kwock Phillips stressed the importance of focusing on topics “we know are going to be under attack over the next four years.”
“To those in power, and those taking office very soon hear me. As a matter of fact, hear us,” Sanchez said. “We are not asking, we are demanding. We demand a world where every person regardless of who they are, where they come from and what they believe can thrive.”
Kwock Phillips and Vincent have been planning the weekend event since mid-November 2024, following the presidential race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Montgomery County was closely watched in the battleground state of Pennsylvania during the 2024 election. Trump took Pennsylvania and the nation, with 77,303,568 votes to Harris’ 75,019,230 votes, according to reported national results. However, Harris won handily in Montgomery County, with 317,103 votes to Trump’s 198,311 votes, according to county election results.
“I know, like many of you, that was not the outcome that we had hoped for,” said Montgomery County Commissioners’ Vice Chairwoman Jamila Winder. “For many, this moment I know brings uneasiness. The rhetoric we’ve heard over the past month targeting immigrants, communities of color, women, our LGBTQ+ neighbors have left us questioning what our future holds.
“Fear is real, and I stand here before you not to dismiss it, but to acknowledge it. But fear cannot be where we stop,” she continued. “Fear must propel us all into action, and as your Montgomery County commissioner, I am committed to ensuring our county remains a place where every individual, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or income can live here with dignity, opportunity and a true sense of belonging.”
Local support for The People’s March
The People’s March’s demonstration in the nation’s capitol had thousands of people protesting Trump’s inauguration for a second term in office. But there were roughly 350 similar events in states throughout the country, including metropolitan areas of New York City and Philadelphia, per media reports. Those at the Montgomery County rally emphasized the important roles to be played locally.
“We were actually deciding whether to go to Philly or here, and we thought it’s more important to go to a local chapter to show our support versus going into the city,” Meyer said. “It was more important to us to be here with the local community than going into the city.”
LeMarie Laureano, of New Hope, Bucks County, attended Saturday’s rally with two friends who traveled more than 100 miles from the Bronx in New York City.
“We initially were going to go to the D.C. one, but then we felt it would be too challenging to go,” Laureano said. “We looked some place local, and when we looked at the places, the options, we felt Pennsylvania needed more support in terms of the issues that we’re here for.”
Staying united
Some at Saturday’s rally expressed fear and anxiety ahead of a second Trump presidency, but agreed that staying united is key.
“Collectively, I think we’ll get through it. I’m very scared and nervous at the same time, but I think even though there’s so much darkness, we are the light, I feel like. So as long as we keep standing up and speaking out, we’re going to make it possible,” said King of Prussia resident Brittany Grala.
“I feel fantastic because this weather is cold and rainy, yet we’ve had a tremendous turnout of individuals from the county who want to see a better nation, they want to see a better world,” Haywood said. “So glad that the energy is here to make that happen.”
‘Mighty Montco’
Chanting could be heard throughout the rally as participants hyped up the crowd in between speakers. Calls and responses shouting “no justice, no peace,” “the people united will never be defeated,” “we are Montco, the mighty, mighty Montco,” and “what do we want? Liberty. When do we want it? Now” echoed along Swede Street.
“Everything you see here is grassroots activism,” Vincent said.
‘Everybody’s out here’
Eighteen organizations had resource tables available on-site for attendees to get more information on topics ranging from criminal justice to voter registration.
“We need to fight for our school districts, and our local municipality councils, and so much more, and do the things that we can do in our own community to protect the most vulnerable people that will be impacted by the incoming administration including the transgender community, the LGBTQ+ community and the immigrant community,” DiVito said.
Reuniting Family Bail Fund Executive Director Heather Lewis agreed.
“Everybody’s out here. All shades, all colors, all sizes, different faiths, backgrounds, beliefs, but I think we’re here standing on the one belief that our civil rights are at stake here, our humanity’s at stake and we have to do something about it,” Lewis said.
Grala, a muralist, had a piece of art on display under a tent with a phrase ingrained into the fabric of the country: “We the people”.
“I want to take back these words. We see them everywhere,” Grala said, adding that “we are the people. Everybody is included. You can’t just claim that … it’s everybody. We’re all supposed to be in it together.”
Elected officials and organizers encouraged people to get active and volunteer.
“Don’t give up the fight, guys. Don’t give it up,” Cappelletti said.
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