A South Florida activist group will take to the streets on Memorial Day to recreate one of America's most iconic displays of solidarity, joining a national demonstration aimed at defending democracy and immigrant rights.
Indivisible Boca Raton will participate in Hands Across America 2.0 on Monday, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., along Glades Road in Boca Raton, marking the 40th anniversary of the original 1986 event that drew an estimated 6 million Americans into a human chain stretching coast to coast.
"Hands Across America 2.0 is about bringing communities together to stand united to save our democracy, support our immigrant neighbors, and show that the will of the people still matters," Myra Kremenitzer, head of Indivisible Boca Raton, said in a statement announcing Monday’s planned protest.
Indivisible Boca Raton is a chapter of a national grassroots movement founded in response to Trump's 2016 election victory.
READ MORE: South Florida activists join national protests denouncing ICE after federal shooting in Minnesota
The protest is part of a nationwide effort organized by Indivisible chapters and allied groups, with communities across the country expected to take part.
The original Hands Across America raised roughly $34 million for hunger and homelessness relief. Celebrities, public figures, schools, and community groups all participated. For about 15 minutes, participants stood side by side holding hands to symbolize unity and collective responsibility in addressing hunger and homelessness in the U.S.
“Forty years later, organizers say the need for collective action remains as urgent as ever,” Kremenitzer said.
Organizers say the upcoming Boca Raton demonstration is intended to recreate the spirit of the 1986 Hands Across America.
"This anniversary event reminds us that when people come together for a common purpose, they can inspire extraordinary change," Kremenitzer said.
Indivisible Boca Raton has had an active role in South Florida protests in recent years. The group rallied in 2025, demanding an end to ICE contracts with private prison companies, and joined statewide protests in January, denouncing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents following two fatal shootings in Minnesota.
The Trump administration sent thousands of officers to the Minneapolis and St. Paul area as part of President Donald Trump’s national deportation campaign and considered Operation Metro Surge a success. But tensions mounted during the weekslong campaign, and the shooting deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers sparked mass unrest and raised questions about officers’ conduct.
