By Gabbie Burton
Contributing Writer

Reflective of the patterns being made by similar protests across the nation, “Follow the light” was a direction heard repeatedly throughout a Kennett Square protest held at the corner of State and Union streets in Kennett Square on May 12.

Literally, “follow the light” meant for the nearly two dozen who attended the protest to turn their signage into oncoming traffic. Metaphorically however, the sentiment spoke to the larger ethos of why each protestor felt they were there.

Kennett Square resident Maxine Robbins organized the gathering in support of the local Latino community and in protest against the polices of the Trump administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“I’ve never known a world where there wasn’t a vibrant Latino community,” Robbins said. “I can’t imagine my life without these people and just knowing how inhumanely they’re getting treated across the country is disgusting.”

Robbins, a 2015 graduate from Kennett High School, shared that her love for her community is a large motivating factor for her activism. She has attended similar recent protests in Kennett Square that have been organized by the Kennett Area Democrats, but the May 12 protest was her first attempt at organizing her own.

“This is more to raise awareness,” she said. “There’s not much we can do about our federal government as individual people, but getting the word out to all your representatives to put pressure on them to stop what the government is doing illegally is really the best thing we can do.”

Protestor Becky Juarez echoed Robbins’ sentiments, sharing that she similarly attended the protest to spread awareness about the importance of the Latino community to Kennett Square.

“I wanted to come out here because I wanted to support my community and show other people that there’s people here, within your neighborhood, who are willing to come out and protest,” she said. “You don’t have to be afraid to do that. I see a lot of reactions on social media, but I don’t see a lot of action from people coming out here and putting in the work for it, so I’d like to see more of that.”

Additionally, Juarez said that she is the daughter of immigrants and an Army veteran who served from 2018 to 2023 – two factors that have motivated her activism.

“My parents have worked really hard to bring me to where I’m at right now, and I’m really grateful for that,” she said. “I served in the military just to be able to give back to them and give them a better life as well, just in the same way they did to me.”

After an hour and a half of protesting, supportive car honking and the occasional jeer from those opposed to the protestors’ sentiments, Robbins and fellow attendee Mayra Castillo closed out the event with speeches to the passionate crowd.

Castillo, who serves as vice president of the Casa Guanajuato Board of Directors, said that she feels it is financially wasteful and inhumane to deport immigrants for criminal offenses without addressing core issues.

“We’re wasting time and we’re wasting money deporting people because that’s not going to resolve their problems,” she told the audience. “They’re going to go back to a country and they’re going to do the same things and that’s not going to solve the issue. We need to start treating people like human beings, because that’s who they are.”

Castillo read a list of 12 names of local residents who she claims have been deported, saying that two have since been released. The reading was followed by a moment of silence.

In her concluding speech, Robbins encouraged attendees to keep up their activism and continue supporting the Kennett Latino Community.

“When you hear racist propaganda about Latinos, correct people,” Robbins said. “Please go out and vote and support your local Latino businesses. Donate to organizations like La Communidad Hispana. Thank you for coming out today, Kennett Square, and te amo mucho (‘I love you very much’).”

To contact Contributing Writer Gabbie Burton, email [email protected].