“…indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” So reads the Pledge of Allegiance, originally written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a socialist minister. Indivisible is also the name of a grassroots movement “of thousands of local Indivisible groups with a mission to elect progressive leaders, rebuild our democracy, and defeat the Trump agenda,” according to its website.
On February 17th, Presidents’ Day, I joined a rally sponsored by my local Indivisible group, Indivisible Upper Cape, in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Propelled by word-of-mouth and social media, their “We Choose to Fight” event attracted hundreds of energized protesters, undeterred by the cold and biting winds. The participants shared common themes of standing up to Trump and Elon Musk’s actions to slash government agencies and reverse a generation of progressive gains. ”Stop the Coup,” “Fire DOGE,” “End the Fascist Oligarchy” and “F-elon” were among the many signs and banners the attendees carried. Counter protesters were few and greatly outnumbered; I observed only one small group of 3-4 carrying Trump signs.
The Indivisible Upper Cape event description on Facebook provided these details: “Our protest stands against Trump's illegal power grab and the dangerous path to fascism… We unite to defend justice, equality, and our freedoms, refusing to let our rights be stripped away.” The event was co-hosted by Falmouth Immigrant Rights Coalition and the Coalition for Social Justice, and endorsed by Falmouth Democratic Town Committee, Falmouth Human Dignity Committee, Racial Justice Falmouth and several other progressive groups.
Diane Riche, Group Leader of Indivisible Upper Cape, was overjoyed at the turnout, having organized the event in under a week’s time. As she expressed in an email interview, “I think that kind of turnout in a town the size of Falmouth shows people’s fear, concern and determination to stop what is clearly a coup by Trump, billionaires and Project 2025.”
Asked about the differences between the national and local Indivisible goals, Riche explained, “National Indivisible offers a basic framework and guidance but allows each group to run according to their individual circumstances. For example, our group would probably not have the same goals, issues, etc. as say a group in Alabama. Even our group vs. ones in the same state may have differing objectives based on their population and representation.”
“Our goal for the short term is doing whatever we can do to stop or stall harmful acts by the Republicans.” The group’s methods include:
- Finding ways to protect at risk and marginalized communities.
- Holding our own elected officials accountable by expecting them to listen to and be available to their constituents.
- Working on get out the vote campaigns.
- Encouraging community members to run for office at all levels.
- Supporting candidates in other locales that share our progressive values.
According to its website, the national organization aims to resist and defeat the right-wing takeover of the American government. They claim to have pulled together millions of activists across all fifty states. “Indivisibles organize -- which means building power and flexing at key moments. Indivisible Groups take action in their communities, build collective purpose, and create change,” the website reads. “They make calls. They show up. They speak with their neighbors. They organize.”
But indeed, they face considerable challenges. Riche explained, “Sadly, it is looking like a lot of the checks and balances that we thought would save us may not have been as foolproof as we believed. And in that case, it comes down to the people.” She added, “We need to be able to bring in those people so we need let everyone know we are here and that we are open to everyone, even those that may have voted for Trump and now have regrets.” Their long-term objective is to be sure that democracy prevails to regain the House in the 2026 midterms, with a total win in 2028. “Though we would take an impeachment in between,” Riche added.
The Pledge of Allegiance doesn’t guarantee any rights. It is simply a patriotic verse recited in many common settings including at schools, Congressional sessions, local government and other meetings. The Trump administration is employing a strategy of “divide and conquer.” Indivisible seeks to change that by trying to bridge the massive divide between right and left