On Saturday, 10/18/25, Providence RI was just one of about 2800 “No Kings” protests across the United States. Protesters gathered outside the Rhode Island State House near the mall from 1PM-3PM. There were many other protests planned across the state including North Kingstown, East Greenwich, Barrington, Tiverton, Block Island, Westerly, and Portsmouth. JSEC’s very own Jaylenn Rivera, who is an 11th grader, has been an advocate for several causes and is very much involved in city wide initiatives and groups across Providence. The JSEC Cav Chronicle Staff had the chance to interview her and put her in the Cav Chronicle Spotlight with this insightful interview:
INTERVIEW:
- Please tell us about you, what’s your name, what grade are you in, what clubs and organizations are you involved with, and what group did you go to the event with last Saturday?
- My name is Jaylenn Rivera, and I am a junior. A club that I am participating in at school is the cooking club. I am also a part of the National Honor Society as an officer, more specifically, the secretary. I am also part of the student council. The organization that I have been a part of for the last two and a half years is the Providence Student Union, PSU for short. I recently joined the JSEC Yearbook Committee and have written articles for the Cav Chronicle, our school’s newspaper. Recently I was excited to organize and participate with a group that attended a local protest to have our voices heard. The event that my team and I attended was called the “No Kings March”.
- What did you feel about the event before attending it?
- The feeling that I had before attending the event was very mixed, because I wasn’t really nervous about what I was doing. I was more nervous about what could happen throughout the whole march. I was also excited because it was the first time some of my team was marching. It was sweet to see my whole team there and with our signs and goodie bags. What was really exciting about the event was the roles that my team had throughout the march; our roles were ‘Care Bears’, meaning we made sure everyone was good emotionally and mentally.
- How did you feel about the event?
- I felt pretty energized, given that I was one of the chant leaders, so I had to have a lot of energy for that. For the group that I was with we were very energetic and we chanted very loudly and managed to get other groups to chant with us as well. One thing that I didn’t like about the event was that even though there were a lot of people at the event, there was hardly any chanting happening with any other group, it was mostly silent the whole time.
- Was the event well attended, and what are some interesting things that you saw that were positive and or negative?
- I do believe that the event was well attended. When I looked on the news to get the total number, it estimated that there were over 30,000 people there. There were multiple signs that I saw and they were all kind of making fun of Trump in some kind of way and everyone was having a good time. I would say the event was mostly positive there was no fighting nor were there any police violence so it went pretty well.
- Did you see other teenagers there at the event, and did you see any from JSEC?
- No, unfortunately I did not see a lot of teenagers there, mostly the ones that were from my group, and no I did not see any JSEC student or teacher there either.
- From a teenager’s perspective, what is your view on politics?
- I’m not sure what exactly my views on politics are, but I do know that I really don’t agree with ICE deporting immigrants, I don’t like how Trump is ruling so far, and many other things.
- Do you or your organization have any next steps for any future events regarding last Saturday?
- I would say that we are going to stay in touch with the people we were with, and anytime something like this happens again, we will make sure to be there and be involved.
- How did your family feel about you attending this event?
- My family didn’t really know much about what the march was; they were just proud of me for doing something that was important to me and something I was passionate about.
- What message can you give to other teenagers about getting involved in events like this?
- I would tell them that it’s never too late to really get involved with activism work, and you should always try to have a say in things that you care about, and never think that you can’t have a say in something that you believe is wrong.
- What changes do you feel could take place due to attending events like this, where your voices are heard?
- I think the changes that happen are more people becoming active in their communities, and those who are involved try to create more awareness on these political topics. I do believe that our voices were heard because we heard them ourselves and others heard and listened to us as well.
The “No Kings” protest means different things to many people. Some, who are conservative see this protest as not supporting the government and Trump. Others see this protest as standing up against Trump’s policies and actions. Regardless of differing signs, it’s great to see that Americans, Rhode Islanders, and yes even our very own JSEC students can exercise their rights to freedom of speech, press, assembly, and the ability to petition the government.
