Jean Milburn, Penny Beer and her daughter and a dozen other Wayland residents participated in the Indivisible rally on April 19, 2025. Six hundred attendees from the area assembled at the First Parish Church in Concord. Many are members of Indivisible, a national grassroots organization dedicated to preserving democracy and promoting progressive values.
The rally was peaceful, according to Milburn. She said they were protesting because they felt that the current administration has assaulted individuals’ democracy, freedoms, and vital institutions. Many members of Concord Indivisible handed out buttons and signs. Leah Greenberg, co-founder and co-executive director of Indivisible; Rufus Gifford, former ambassador to Denmark; Nikki Turpin, president of Robbins House; and Deb Paul, chairperson of Indivisible Mass Coalition. Diane Proctor of Concord Indivisible spoke at the rally.
Milburn said that most of the speakers at the event talked about protecting individual rights but Gifford gave the European perspective. He said that they were saddened by the disintegrating relationship with the U.S. that has existed since the end of the second world war.
Indivisible is a progressive movement of millions of activists across every state, fueled by a partnership between thousands of autonomous local groups. Indivisible ‘s national team offers strategic leadership, movement coordination and support to members, and also directly lobbies congress, runs media campaigns and develops advocacy strategies. Their vision is “of, by, and for the people.”
Milburn said that she has been a member since the organization was created in 2016. “Our purpose is to protect the Bill of Rights and hold the government accountable,” she said.
