LEYDEN — During a lunch break at Leyden’s 1982 Town Meeting, 25 people stepped outside to pose for a photo commemorating the town’s decision to back a warrant article calling for a freeze on the testing, production and deployment of nuclear weapons.

That photo appeared alongside another depicting thousands of antinuclear protesters in the streets of New York City — the largest political demonstration in the nation’s history at that point — in the July 11, 1982 New York Times Magazine as part of a story titled “Anatomy of a Nuclear Protest.”

The story describes how the antinuclear movement’s grassroots origin turned into endorsements from town meetings, city councils and state legislatures, with many crossing party lines. The pressure finally grew strong enough, according to the Times, that it had a hand in influencing President Ronald Reagan to “soften his longtime opposition to arms-control talks.”

“The antinuclear cause cuts across political lines. Last spring, residents of the predominantly Republican township of Leyden, Mass., voted for a nuclear freeze,” the 1982 photo caption reads.

While Leyden retains its rural character today, the political headwinds did shift. The community is now majority Democrat, with 64.4% of the ballots cast in the 2024 presidential election supporting Democrat Kamala Harris.

On Saturday, June 14, folks across the country were hoping to wield a similar influence, with the so-called “No Kings” movement, where millions of people in towns and cities across the country took to the streets to protest President Donald Trump and his administration. At Leyden’s gathering, seven of those pictured in the original 1982 photo returned to Town Hall to pick up the mantle of protest they left behind 43 years ago.

“We did vote to accept that warrant article and to oppose the proliferation of nuclear power plants and weapons. That’s why we were there; it was very exciting to be part of that,” said resident Katherine DiMatteo, who also serves on the town’s Selectboard. “Although I had choices of places to be for ‘No Kings,’ it really just made sense to be part of the Leyden community to express another very big concern of ours.”

The recreation of the photo was organized as the “No Kings” protest was being planned. Elizabeth Kidder, whose husband, Tom Luck, attended the 1982 protest, had kept the New York Times photo and showed it to her. From there, Kidder and other politically engaged folks in town decided it was an opportunity to tie the 2025 protest to the community’s history.

“It seems like a way for Leyden to come together over an issue, as they did back in 1982,” Kidder said, adding that the effort can also tie into the “think globally, act locally frame of mind.” “The ‘No Kings’ day coming up was especially pertinent. We thought it was a good way to further engage people.”

It was also, DiMatteo said, an opportunity to showcase the voice of rural communities, much like the Times did back in 1982.

“Often, the small, rural communities don’t get the exposure or attention. We’re part of the country, just like all those millions of people in New York, Los Angeles or other cities,” DiMatteo said, adding that about 10% of Leyden’s total population participated in “No Kings” day. “The voices of small communities can be, should be, and often are powerful because they represent a larger percent of the total population.”

Kidder added that national protest movements also provide an opportunity for small towns to come together, which can be emblematic of the normal day-to-day work communities need to function.

“I think our rural communities have a real strong sense of community. We all recognize that we need to take care of each other,” Kidder said. “We’ve come together over the last few years to rebuild things like our Fire Department or to coordinate policing … while still keeping Leyden as Leyden.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.