A quiet resistance has been building across the United States. From California to Ohio to Vermont, activists gathered in their homes and community spaces to lay the groundwork of resistance in their neighborhoods. We won’t stay quiet any longer.
Just days after Donald Trump’s inauguration, seven activists scaled a crane in downtown Washington, DC to send a bold message of resistance to the new administration. Their courageous action further stoked the flame of resistance that is spreading across the country. For each Washingtonian walking by a rippling message of “RESIST” on their way to work, there were thousands more people around the United States and the world watching that same banner unfold on a screen.
We know that the resistance cannot begin and end at the White House in DC. That’s why we’re so inspired to see activists taking up the reins right in their homes and neighborhoods.
Last week, groups of activists in thirty cities across the country came together to turn the anger and fear we’ve faced over the past several months into beautiful resistance. They talked about what resistance looks like to them — what resistance looks like in their community — and devised a plan to take action in the coming weeks.
Greenpeace activists are putting together plans to resist in many different ways. They’re planning to fight pipelines in their communities, urge banks to divest from fossil fuel projects, and put an end to white supremacy. But this is only the beginning; we’re gearing up to resist for the next four years, as long as it takes to defend what we love.
In some communities, groups of twenty or more activists came together to lay out their resistance plans. In others, groups are just budding, with small gatherings of two or three folks. The best part of this movement is that there are so many levels and ways to come together and resist. So whether you decide to bring fifty people together or you start a bold conversation with a couple friends, you have the power to kick-start change in your community and the country. Some of the most ambitious plans we’ve heard have come from groups of just two people!
Here are just a few of the incredible groups that came together to resist in their communities.
Silver Spring, Maryland
Rockaway, New Jersey
Snohomish, Washington
When it comes down to it, the most important piece of our resistance is the strength of our communities. None of us can create the change we want to see on our own. But when we come together, the possibilities of what we can achieve are endless. The Trump administration has thrown challenge after challenge at us — from the removal of the Oceti Sakowin camp at Standing Rock to assaults on immigration rights. In this political game of Red Rover, we must join fast together, hold the line, and never let go.
Ready to build up the resistance in your community? Join our Organizing 101 training webinar series starting with “How to Build Your Organizing Group” Wednesday, March 1.
