On Monday, Feb. 17 demonstrators across all 50 states rallied for a National Day of Protest under the banner of what organizers from the grassroots movement 50501 called “Not My Presidents Day”. Middlebury’s local protest drew 150 people at the Court Square Upper Green and was organized by Indivisible/Middlebury, a chapter of the broader Indivisible movement that formed in response to President Trump’s first term.
The 50501 movement, named for its goal of organizing 50 protests in 50 states in one day, began on Reddit as a decentralized effort against the “anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump administration and its pluralistic allies,” according to its website. 50501 is not affiliated with any political party, but rather claims to be a peaceful “call to action” that does not tolerate violence. It quickly gained momentum, with local activists coordinating rallies in state capitals and towns across the U.S. The Feb. 5 protest also saw hundreds gather in Montpelier, Vt., with over 80 protests across all 50 states.
For many demonstrators who braved the wind chills as low as zero degrees Fahrenheit, Monday’s protest was about more than just resisting the Trump administration — it was about defending democracy itself.
“Democracies die by the indifference of their citizens,” wrote Jack Mayer, a retired pediatrician, longtime activist and affiliate with Indivisible/Middlebury, in an email to The Campus. “Along with protests all over the country on President’s Day, Indivisible is standing up to this abuse of power and serving notice to Trump and his minions that we will fight to defeat his right-wing takeover of the American government and rebuild our inclusive democracy.”
Indivisible is a national organization which was founded in 2016 by two graduates from Carleton College, Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin, with around 3,200 original chapters. Today, there are around 10,000 chapters, with more than one million members across the country.
The Middlebury chapter was established in 2017 as part of a broader movement to resist authoritarianism and defend democratic values. The organization has rapidly grown, with attendance at their meetings surging from just nine members in December to over 70 at their most recent gathering on Feb. 11.
“We are organizing for change and the very survival of our democracy and the world order,” Mayer wrote. “With that in mind we will say NO! to Project 2025. We will build coalitions to drive a national effort to retake the House and Senate in 2026 elections. We will play hardball pushing back on the Trump agenda and heartless MAGA attacks on vulnerable populations, such as women, migrants, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and other communities who will be under attack.”
At the rally, Protesters carried signs with messages such as “Love, not hate, makes America great,” “Resist fascism” and variations emphasizing “Democracy, not dictatorship” and “Presidents day, not Kings day.”
Each of the protesters had their own reason to be there and felt personally motivated to show up to the protests.
“I’m deeply concerned by a number of actions by the Trump administration, from eliminating congressionally funded government agencies without the authority to do so, to using the justice department for nakedly political purposes, to threatening to defy court orders and the rule of law, to undermining the independence of the press,” Professor of Philosophy John Spackman wrote to The Campus in an email. “These protests are an opportunity for people to make their voices heard, which is especially crucial if the courts do not provide an effective corrective on their own.”
Indivisible/Middlebury organizer Dorothy Mammen agreed with his characterization of the protest.
“The National Day of Protest is to bring visibility and give voice to the level of concern people are feeling and to continue to build a movement to take action and restore democracy,” Mammen told The Campus.
The demonstration in Middlebury was one of the smaller rallies held across the country, with larger turnouts in major cities across the U.S., and also in neighboring cities in Vermont such as Burlington and at the state capitol in Montpelier.
There were no set speakers at the protest, but many cars honked and waved in support.
With uncertainty about what the future holds, one thing remains clear: For those who took to the streets on this National Day of Protest, the fight for democracy is far from over.
“Silence is complicity and we will not be silent,” Mayer said.
Mandy Berghela '26 (she/her) is a Senior Local Editor.
Mandy previously served as a local editor and staff writer. She is a Political Science major with a History minor. Mandy serves as co-president for Southeast Asian Society (SEAS), a member on the Judicial Board, and an intern for the Conflict Transformation Collaborative. In her free time, she enjoys cycling and reading fantasy novels.
