Saturday afternoon in Wellesley was warm and humid with dark skies threatening rain which never arrived. At the top of the hill in front of Town Hall, ten mysterious figures, cloaked entirely in blood red, appeared like a line of avenging angels in stark relief against the brownstone, green grass and trees. Their monk-like togas and scarves were strangely complemented by victorian gloves, veils, and headdresses adorned with red roses. Red masks had been added due to the pandemic, so only their eyes and foreheads could be seen. Slowly, silently, the grim, Greek chorus moved as one, effecting gestures and expressions of intense grief, deep love, forlorn despair, defiant rebellion, and steadfast resolve. Passersby were mesmerized by this odd and disturbing sight. The “Red Rebels” moved in silent, expressive, and unified formation down the hill and across the lawn.
Eleanor Yeomans is an environmental studies major at Mount Holyoke College and a member of the local chapter of the Red Rebels. The original “Red Brigade” grew out of a street performance troupe in Bristol, England in the 1990’s. They first appeared at political protests in 2001 and joined the Extinction Rebellion climate emergency protest movement in 2019. Other Red Brigade/Red Rebels performance troupes have been formed in countries around the world since then. Their red costumes symbolize the countless, unnecessary deaths of too many people, and whole species of creatures, due to the climate emergency. Red brings to mind immediate danger and alerts on-lookers to the urgent and deadly nature of global climate change. Red also makes folks think of “Stop,” as in “Stop and think,” “Stop polluting,” “Stop destroying the earth,” and “Stop killing species.” The Red Rebels costumes completely cover their skin so that the rebels appear almost not human, and lend the illusion of statues when they assume postures in tableaus. To Dr. Who fans, they are all too eerily reminiscent of the “Weeping Angels.”
When asked what first got her interested in the environment, Eleanor laughingly says, “I blame Mary Memmott.” Mary is the mother of her two closest childhood friends, “The Burton Girls,” and is also a science teacher. “She was always teaching us things about the environment and what we could do to help…So many of the things we did with them and with church were focused on helping the earth.” The kids would go with Grace and Edwards church groups to help at the organic farm, to recycle styrofoam on Earth Day, or to climate protests. Eleanor finds connecting with nature also puts her in touch with her spirituality.
Eleanor likes performing with the Red Rebels because it allows her to express many aspects of her identity. Growing up, Eleanor always loved to dance. She also learned to fight and to persevere by training for and earning a second-level black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Performing with the Red Rebels allows Eleanor to use her dance training to fight for the health of our planet. This dramatic, visually stunning, silent protest is the perfect counterpoint to the mood of typical protests. Having both sorts of experiences one after the other makes each one more striking and hopefully, more effective.
A raucous, rebellious, brass band could be heard approaching from the distance. The unpredictable embellishment of their spontaneous jazz improvisations advertised their radical intent. About 100 young people and families, mostly high schoolers and their adults, were following the seemingly triumphant band from Wellesley High School past the Town Hall and on down the busy street before coming back to Town Hall. The protesters carried signs and banners demanding action against the climate crisis. They chanted slogans and clapped and waved to draw attention to their cause. Their flags bore a stylized graphic of an hourglass which included a large letter “X.” The concerned students of Wellesley High School had contacted the Extinction Rebellion climate crisis protest group for help and all of them had descended on Town Hall at once. They even brought their polar bear.
With all the excitement of the noisy and somewhat chaotic protesters arriving, the Red Rebels first stood vigil over the event, but then silently receded almost imperceptibly into the background and out of sight. The students gave impassioned speeches about the drastic state of the environment, the enraging lack of any real intervention by government, the heart breaking losses of hundreds of species due to humans’ carelessness, and the terrifying expectation of ongoing death and destruction in the all too near future. They exhorted us to personally take action now to change our own wasteful behavior, stop corporations and governments from pillaging natural resources, and work together with other countries to heal our traumatized and ailing world.
Specifically we were tasked with urging Wellesley Town Meeting members to vote “Yes” on Article 12. This would have town agencies increase their efforts to address the climate emergency by taking steps locally, and by reporting back to the town each year. This will provide some accountability and increase the likelihood that policies will be changed to rapidly decrease the town’s carbon footprint. The protesters encouraged onlookers to sign the large, cardboard coffin to be presented at town meeting, and to urge others in the community to talk to their town meeting members as well.
After the speeches, when the event was winding down, the Red Rebels reappeared. They stood gazing up at a magnificent maple tree towering over the group. The silent Rebels moved from postures reflecting great love to great sorrow, and seemed to express feelings shared by everyone in attendance that day. The massive maple’s leaves were a stunning, warm, orange-gold and the setting sun lit them from behind with an other-worldly glow. The Rebels lifted their arms in what appeared to be adoration and perhaps unity, with each other, with the maple, with the environment, and with the earth. I felt hopeful, filled with purpose, and surprisingly, at peace.
By Ronda Yeomans