The election of Donald J. Trump as U.S. President on November 8, 2016, brought a wave of anger and fear to the very liberal city of Boston, Massachusetts. The artifacts I collected speak to the myriad ways Bostonians responded to a new president whose rhetoric and policies include Islamophobia, racism, and bigotry.
On an individual level, women with uteruses opted for long-term birth control in the form of IUDs (intrauterine devices) for fear of Trump cutting funding or entirely defunding Planned Parenthood.
Community groups like Together We Rise gathered to create events that were safe spaces for queer, trans, and folx of color to express their fear of living under Trump, while also speaking out against his bigoted actions and views. Writers Resist was formed to host events that encouraged writers to use their work to speak up against Trump in a way that promotes peace and compassion.
Activists also used the streets to show solidarity against Trump by handing out pamphlets about stopping Trump’s fascism and fliers with information about bus-sharing to protest at the inauguration. Others plastered downtown Boston with stickers that said, “Physically Assault All Neo-Nazis” as a way to draw attention to the parallels between Trump and Hitler.
I’m lucky to live in a left-leaning city that is actively subverting the Trump regime. For those in more rural and conservative areas, rest assured the resistance is alive and well.