Boots on the Ground Midwest is an anti-Trump administration protest movement that was formed in Kansas City, Missouri in January 2025. ¹ It is associate with the Indivisible network and partners with other left-of-center organizations such as the ACLU, Advocates for Immigrants’ Rights and Reconciliations, Allies for Racial Justice, Climate Action KC, Defense of Democracy, the Kansas City Democratic Socialists of America, March for Democracy, and Planned Parenthood to recruit and train activists to support left-of-center issues concerning economic, social, and racial equity. ²

Background

Boots on the Ground Midwest is a left-of-center activist group established in January 2025. Activists Nancy Mays and Martha Lawrence founded the group in reaction to the November 2024 election, indicating that they “weren’t going to just give up.” It is part of the Indivisible network of activist groups. They organized a volunteer fair which took place in March 2025 with 44 participating nonprofit organizations and then developed a plan for future events, including protests, rallies, workshops, and coalition building. ¹

Indivisible is a left-wing activist organization that was established to oppose the Trump administration agenda. ³ Since 2018, the Open Society Foundations has given Indivisible over $7 million in grants. ⁴

Boots on the Ground Midwest describes itself as a “grassroots organization supporting economic, social and racial justice issues in the Heartland.” ⁵ It claims that it is fighting against authoritarianism, especially against the removal of benefits and the deportations of illegal immigrants. ⁶

Work Areas

Boots on the Ground Midwest hosts educational events, maintains a calendar of activist events taking place in Kansas and Missouri, and partners with other organizations to coordinate activism. ⁷

Boots on the Ground Midwest holds volunteer fairs featuring nonprofit organizations that support left-of-center issues, including climate change, abortion rights, racial justice, immigration protections, and LGBT rights. ⁸

Boots on the Ground Midwest hosts Wednesday workshops and posts them on YouTube. ⁹ Topics have included “How to Talk to Your MAGA Aunt,” “Why White People Need to Show Up for Racial Justice,” and “The Growing Threat to Press Freedom in the U.S.” ¹⁰

Project Yellow Brick Road is a Boots on the Ground initiative that calls for activists to send yellow bricks to the offices of U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) to “build a yellow brick road for our Senators to find their way back home to Kansas.” ^{11  12}

Its March Forward weekly newsletter lists upcoming events, including protests and rallies, workshops, and training sessions. ¹³ It maintains a calendar of upcoming events on its website, including events hosted by partner organizations. Some of these events include “Tyranny Take Down Thursdays,” the Johnson County Democratic Women monthly meeting, and protests such as the KC Planned Parenthood Clinic Defenders and a weekly Defend our Constitution rally. ¹⁴

Events

The Boots on the Ground Midwest volunteer fair held in March 2025 was an event to attract volunteers to nonprofit organizations that support left-of-center issues such as LGBT, immigration, climate activism, and abortion rights. It was described as “speed-dating for activism” and a way to “promote progressive organizing in the KC area.” Participating organizations included the ACLU, Advocates for Immigrants’ Rights and Reconciliations, Allies for Racial Justice, Climate Action KC, Defense of Democracy, El Centro, the Johnson County Democrats, Johnson County Pride, the Kansas City Democratic Socialists of America, March for Democracy, Planned Parenthood, the Resilient Activist, and Trans Joy KC. ²

In April 2025, Boots on the Ground Midwest organized a Free State Days rally in Overland Park, referring to Kansas’ history as a free state before the Civil War. The rally called for its lawmakers to “resist the anti-democratic policies” of the second Trump administration. ¹⁵

It actively participates in the No Kings rallies in “opposition to the rise in authoritarianism.” It co-hosted a rally in October 2025, which featured several activist speakers and partners. Speakers included representatives of the Kansas Black Leadership Council, the Kansas Missouri Dream Alliance, the Mainstream Coalition, and the Kansas ACLU. Planned Parenthood, the Mainstream Coalition, the Kansas City Democratic Socialists of America, the Green Party, and the Veterans for Peace had partner tables at the event. ^{16  17}

Boots on the Ground Midwest is part of a coalition to oppose the opening of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Leavenworth, Kansas. The Leavenworth chapter of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Kansas Interfaith Action, the Kansas ACLU, and Advocates for Immigrants’ Rights and Reconciliations are members of this coalition. ¹⁸ In August 2025, Boots on the Ground Midwest, which organizes weekly protests in Overland Park, organized a “No ICE” protest in support of illegal immigrants along with other Indivisible groups, including Indivisible Kansas City and Heartland Mission Indivisible. ^{19  20}

Leadership

Boots on the Ground Midwest co-founder Nancy Mays is the founder and principal of Mays Communications. She is a writer and a communications strategist, has worked as a campaign manager for a Kansas State Senate campaign, and has volunteered in state and local politics. ^{1  21}

Co-founder Martha Lawrence is a freelance marketing consultant. She worked as a director of field operations on a Kansas State Senate campaign and continues to organize major activist events such as the Free State Days in Overland Park, Kansas. ^{1  22  15}

1. “About Boots on the Ground.” Boots on the Ground Midwest. Accessed November 17, 2025. https://bootsonthegroundmidwest.org/about-us/
2. Earl F. Glynn. “Boots on the Ground Midwest promotes progressive organizing in KC area.” Watchdog Lab. March 17, 2025. Accessed November 18, 2025. https://watchdoglab.substack.com/p/boots-on-the-ground-midwest-promotes
3. “About.” Indivisible. Accessed November 18, 2025. https://indivisible.org/about
4. “Awarded Grants.” Open Society Foundations. Accessed November 18, 2025. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/past?filter_keyword=indivisible
5. Boots on the Ground Midwest homepage. Accessed November 17, 2025. https://bootsonthegroundmidwest.org/
6. “Democracy Need You. Now.” Boots on the Ground Midwest. Accessed November 17, 2025. https://bootsonthegroundmidwest.org/democracy-needs-you-now/
7. Boots on the Ground Midwest homepage. Accessed November 18, 2025. https://bootsonthegroundmidwest.org/
8. “Boots on the Ground Midwest Volunteer Fair – KCMO.” Eventbrite. May 31, 2025. Accessed November 18, 2025. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/boots-on-the-ground-midwest-volunteer-fair-kcmo-tickets-1359062224699?msockid=358c892effa86cbc38289cd3fe236d2b
9. “I’m ready to learn more.” Boots on the Ground Midwest. Accessed November 17, 2025. https://bootsonthegroundmidwest.org/ready-to-learn-more/
10. “Wednesday Workshops.” Boots on the Ground Midwest. Accessed November 17, 2025. https://bootsonthegroundmidwest.org/resources/wednesday-workshops/
11. Earl F. Glynn. “”Indivisible” to harass US Senators this week in Kansas.” Watchdog Lab. March 16, 2025. Accessed November 18, 2025. https://watchdoglab.substack.com/p/indivisible-to-harass-us-senators
12. “Kansas Senators – There’s No Place Like Home.” Indivisible. Accessed November 18, 2025. https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/event/761740/
13. “Boots on the Ground: March Forward 4.14.” Boots on the Ground Midwest. April 14, 2025. Accessed November 18, 2025. https://bootsonthegroundmidwest.substack.com/p/boots-on-the-ground-march-forward-f1f
14. “Calendar.” Boots on the Ground Midwest.” Accessed November 18, 2025. https://bootsonthegroundmidwest.org/#calendar
15. Juliana Garoia. “Hundreds gather in Overland Park as part of statewide demonstrations to ‘defend democracy’.” Johnson County Post. April 28, 2025. Accessed November 18, 2025. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2025/04/28/overland-park-free-state-days-protest-258326/
16. “Help us have a peaceful, safe – and powerful – rally.” Boots on the Group Midwest. Accessed November 17, 2025. https://bootsonthegroundmidwest.org/help-us-have-a-peaceful-safe-and-powerful-rally/
17. Haines Eason. “’No Kings’ rallies draw thousands in Johnson County amid nationwide protests.” Johnson County Post. October 19, 2025. Accessed November 18, 2025. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2025/10/19/no-kings-johnson-county-rally-271168/
18. “Toolkit: Opposing CoreCivic’s ICE Detention Facility in Leavenworth, Kansas.” Boots on the Ground Midwest. Accessed November 17, 2025. https://bootsonthegroundmidwest.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/LVC-Action-Toolkit.pdf
19. Andrew Gaug. “1,000+ protesters line Metcalf Avenue to show solidarity with immigrants.” Johnson County Post. August 10, 2025. Accessed November 18, 2025. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2025/08/10/ice-raid-protest-overland-park-266023/
20. Samantha Boring. “Protesters in Overland Park rally against ICE presence in the metro.” KCTV5. August 9, 2025. Accessed November 18, 2025. https://www.kctv5.com/2025/08/09/protesters-overland-park-rally-against-ice-presence-metro/
21. LinkedIn – Nancy Mays. Accessed November 18, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancymays/
22. LinkedIn – Martha Lawrence. Accessed November 18, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/marthalawrence/