Help keep the No Kings momentum going in Princeton
As the leader of Indivisible Princeton, I want to thank our neighbors for their peaceful and sustained participation in protests throughout 2025.
Over the past year, Indivisible Princeton has been proud to serve as the lead organizer for the Hands Off rally and both No Kings events in our town. We led the ICE OUT FOR GOOD rally earlier this year, we now gather regularly – on the first Friday of each month at 4 p.m. along Stockton Street by Monument Park – to keep the momentum going. On March 28 at 10 a.m., we will once again come together in Monument Park for the first No Kings event of 2026.
From the beginning, the ACLU of New Jersey has stood alongside us. Since relaunching Indivisible Princeton in late 2024, their partnership has been steady and invaluable. We are proud to co-host this upcoming rally with them.
And once again, the statue of George Washington will overlook our gathering – a powerful reminder of our nation’s founding ideals, and the responsibility we all have to help make them real.
The truth is that this moment demands more from us. Sustained change requires sustained organizing – more people, more often, working together. Whether our efforts succeed or not will not depend on any one organization, but on the courage and commitment of our neighbors, here and across the country.
We need you.
We need a visible, collective affirmation that democratic values still matter – and that we are willing to stand up for them. We are stronger when we stand together.
As a scholar who studies litigation and accountability for constitutional violations, I can say plainly: this is a fraught and consequential moment. We have seen what happens when accountability erodes – when public officials act without meaningful checks, and when the protections many of us take for granted begin to weaken. The strain on civil liberties is real and growing.
As a political scientist, I am deeply concerned by recent findings from the Varieties of Democracy Institute, which now classifies the United States as no longer a full democracy. At this moment, efforts to restrict access to the ballot continue, and attempts to access state voter rolls are being challenged here in New Jersey by our state officials, and advocacy groups across our state are mobilizing to help with these efforts.
There is a great deal at stake. And it calls for engagement – not despair.
As Ryan Haygood of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice has put it so powerfully: we must both fight and build. Fight for the rights and institutions that are under threat, and build something better – a stronger democracy, a more just society, and a more hopeful future for our children and grandchildren. Each step forward depends on our willingness to act together.
At the March 28 rally, you will hear from speakers representing the ACLU-NJ, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, the League of Women Voters, State Senator Andrew Zwicker, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, student leaders, and immigrant rights activists. There will also be music to bring us together, including new songs by Bruce Springsteen and Nils Lofgren.
Based on my years studying social movement campaigns, I continue to draw inspiration from New Jersey’s own Alice Paul, a central leader in the movement for women’s suffrage. She understood the importance of visual displays of power – of showing, and not just saying, that the public demands change. While she was by no means perfect, her courage and strategic talents were unparalleled. She was a determined activist who never stood down, even in the face of long odds.
When we stand together peacefully during national mobilizations like No Kings, we demonstrate our “people power.” The presence of an engaged public matters. This visibility matters.
I hope you will join us on March 28.
To help make this a meaningful and welcoming event:
- Bring your family! Our Princeton rallies are designed to be family-friendly, with peacekeepers present and designated seating available for those with mobility needs.
- Find three people who did not attend No Kings last year. Have a conversation about the moment we’re in, and ask them to come with you on March 28.
- Share information through your networks and on social media (#NoKingsPrincetonNJ)
- RSVP here: https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/900741
- Sign up for updates: https://www.indivisibleprinceton.org/contact
All Indivisible events are peaceful and do not involve civil disobedience. No weapons of any kind are permitted, and we ask all participants to follow the guidance of trained peacekeepers.
We are in this together – for the long haul. And together, we can meet this moment with the determination and courage it requires.
Lynda Dodd
Leader, Indivisible Princeton
