11/25/2025
Worcester - We Need All of Us Right Now
Grand Rising Wonderful Humans,
Join the campaign: https://www.mcan.us/dignitywethepeople
Worcester Interfaith is part of MCAN or the Massachusetts Communities Action Network, and we’re reaching out across the Commonwealth because this is a moment that truly requires all of us. Worcester’s civic, activist, faith, arts, neighborhood, and justice communities have always shown up in moments of crisis, and now is one of those moments.
In September, about fifty faith leaders from across the state came together to begin shaping the campaign we’re building today. All eight MCAN affiliates agreed on a shared strategy: we need Governor Healey to take bold, public action to uphold and protect the rights of all Massachusetts residents; we have protections already guaranteed in our state constitution.
We’re calling on her to clearly affirm that Massachusetts law supersedes harmful federal actions.
This week, after MCAN’s statewide Teach-In, Worcester held our first strategy session. We grounded ourselves in a reminder from Rev. Jesse Jackson’s 1984 speech: "we don’t lose because we lack power or because of genius - we lose by the margin of despair and the fracture of our coalitions.”
With harmful federal actions intensifying, that reminder feels especially urgent today more than ever.
Massachusetts has the tools: strong civil rights laws, due-process protections, the 4th and 14th Amendments, and state sovereignty to defend our people and sovereignty.
But we need our Governor to use them, loudly and publicly.
During our meeting, residents named some of Worcester’s greatest strengths:
• Our colleges and universities
• Our diverse, multiracial, international community
• Our “purple” politics and long history of local resistance
• Our faith leaders, non profits, artists, neighborhood networks
One truth came through loud and clear: Worcester is a community that can shift what happens at the State House when we act together.
As we build toward a major public moment in December, we’re inviting everyone; individuals, congregations, campus & student groups, community organizations, neighborhood leaders, and concerned residents to join this coalition for dignity and protection.
And yes! That December moment is intentional. December 16 is the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. Massachusetts has a long history of organized, principled resistance to unjust power. The parallels today are unmistakable. It began in Worcester in 1773 and it begins again today.
Here’s what we’re coordinating across Worcester and the state over the next two weeks:
• Photo and “tea” visibility actions use our (toolkit: www.mcan.us/dignitywethepeople)
• Letters from institutions, congregations, and other groups
• Campus and neighborhood engagement
• Small-group organizing and relational outreach
• Public messaging that demonstrates broad support
Worcester is strongest when we stand together. Across differences, across neighborhoods, across identities, we are capable of building a coalition that shows Massachusetts what unity looks like at this moment.
Rev. Jackson’s reminder still holds: despair and division keep us powerless. Hope and solidarity make us unstoppable.
We’re asking our Worcester community to show up to reduce despair and fear, build hope and repair our fractured connections while refusing to stand idle.
Let’s rise to this moment together.
Go to Resource & Toolkit Page Protecting the People andSovereignty of Massachusetts At historic times, Massachusetts has been a beacon of justice, equality, and compassion. Our Commonwealth’s strong anti-discrimination laws protect every resident from harm and bias. These protections reflect our d...
