An estimated 300 protesters gathered along Sixth Avenue in downtown Grinnell, holding signs, chanting, singing and waving at passing cars during the “No Kings” rally and food drive led by the Grinnell Organizing Collective.
The rally and food drive, held on Saturday afternoon, March 28, brought together students and community members to make a statement of democracy, mutual aid and community action.
Attendees were also encouraged to bring non-perishable food donations for the Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA) food bank.
According to Organizing Collective vice president Kelsey Sandenow, the turnout was one of the largest yet for the group’s ongoing efforts.
“We’re here because someone has to show up,” Sandenow said.
The rally began in Central Park before participants marched to Sixth Avenue, where they lined both sides of West and Main Street. Some drivers passing honked in support.
The Grinnell Organizing Collective, which formed following Trump’s reelection in 2024, has framed its work not only around protest but also mutual aid efforts within the community.
“We’re not just here to do these rallies,” Sandenow said. “We’re also here to actually do good in the community and help each other, because no one else is coming to help.”
This year’s rally saw a significant increase in student participation.
Student organizations, such as the Sunrise Movement chapter at Grinnell College, helped to distribute flyers, post information on social media and organize a student meet-up before joining the main rally.
“We wanted to connect the community and the College a little bit more,” said Lily Lockwood-Keil `29, Sunrise Movement chapter leader.
“We went to a protest earlier this year and there were only a handful of students there. This time, we really wanted to get people out.”
Lockwood-Keil described the rally as both a response to national political concerns and an opportunity to build local connections.
“I wanted to see how many other people in Grinnell cared about the same issues we care about,” she said. “It’s about building that sense of unity locally.”
For many of those attending, the protest was as much about community as it was about politics.
Emily Strahan `29 emphasized the importance of relationships formed through activism.
“I think it’s important to build a community here in Grinnell,” Strahan said.
“If something happens, we need to know each other and have those relationships standing.”
Isaac Voseburg `29 described the rally as a demonstration and a show of solidarity.
“To know that you have a community to back you up, that we can come together and stand with our neighbors, that’s really powerful,” Voseburg said.
Organizing Collective leader Liz Rodrigues said, “It brings so much joy to see students show up alongside the broader community.”
Rodrigues added that events like the rally are about building a habit of civic engagement.
“We all have so many demands on our time,” she said.
“But we have to make time to be with other people and take action together.”
Some counter-protesters revved engines or drove through the area with Trump 2024 and Americans flags, while others stopped to engage in conversation.
“It’s easy to stay home or just post something online,” Sandenow said of the counter-protesters.
“But these are people willing to physically be here, to be seen, to say they disagree.”
For organizers, the rally was part of a broader and ongoing effort.
Rodrigues said similar demonstrations are expected to continue in the coming months, alongside expanded organizing work in the community.
For attendees like Misty Poush, a member of the Organizing Collective’s steering committee, the impact of the rally extended beyond the day itself.
“A lot of people feel powerless,” Poush said.
“But when you come out and see how many others are here, it reminds you that you can do something, and that it matters.”
This article has been updated to correct the misspelling of Buchheit’s name in the photo caption and to correctly attribute a quote to Emily Strahan. Updated 4/6/26 at 5:36 p.m.
