This week’s Good News from the Resistance: Most Americans are not being duped by our Braggart-in-Chief; his abysmal approval ratings are proof. 45’s failure to make good on the bulk of his signature initiatives — repealing Obamacare, proposing a viable tax reform plan, keeping Muslims off of U.S.-bound airplanes, withholding government funding from sanctuary cities, and building a border wall to keep Mexicans from walking into the U.S.– is all Good News.
The BEST NEWS is this: Over the last 100 days, 45 has taught us what we never learned in high school civics classes, or what we’ve long forgotten. He’s taught us just how fragile our democracy is, and where the cracks are. And it is out of these cracks that the Resistance was born. 45 gave us the motivation to Resist, and Resistance Organizations have given us the platforms, know-how, and tools. They are strong, well-organized, and effective, and deserve much credit for 45’s 100 Days of Failure. We did this, and the patriots who created and are running Resistance Organizations (often on a shoe-string budget), taught us how. Read on to learn more about the engines driving our action.
Do you know of a Resistance Organization not listed? Leave a Comment and help us build a Directory of Resisters.
- Indivisible: The creators of the Indivisible Guide, our roadmap of resistance
- Swing Left: How to turn 65 Swing Districts Blue
- The Resistance School: A free Harvard education on how to resist
- The Wall-of-Us: 4 Acts of Resistance delivered to your inbox each week
- Let America Vote: Vigilance and action against voter suppression laws
- Rise Stronger: The People’s Calendar keeps track of Resistance Events across the U.S.
- Cosecha: The organizers behind this week’s May 1st Day Without Immigrants
- Strolling Thunder: Baby Resisters roll into D.C. this week … in strollers
Sign up. Show up. Never give up.
WE 
INDIVISIBLE
A few days after the election, two former congressional staffers asked what every progressive in America was asking: what do we do now? While many of us were still rocking under the covers in a fetal position, or finishing off our third pint of Ben & Jerry’s, the staffers realized they had the answer: They’d watched the Tea Party take on Obama and at times defeat his agenda, even with a Democratic supermajority in Congress. A few weeks later they tweeted a 28-page roadmap of how we, the people, had the power to get a Republican Congress to listen to us. Today there are 5,800+ Indivisible groups – at least 2 in EVERY Congressional district in the U.S. – and millions of us are carrying out their plan, showing up at Town Halls, writing postcards, calling our Members of Congress, marching, and more. Thank you, Indivisible, for reminding us why it was important to pay attention to the Pledge of Allegiance: “…indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
WE SWING LEFT
Control of the House in 2018 will be decided by a small number of Swing Districts, places where the last House election was won by a thin margin. Swing Left’s razor-sharp strategy for taking back the House is to concentrate on flipping these 65 Swing Districts Blue. Don’t live in a Swing District? Enter your zip code and learn about actionable opportunities nearby to help those who do.
WETHE RESISTANCE SCHOOL
Get a Harvard education without the bother of actually getting in, passing exams, or questioning the relevance of what your professors deem important enough to teach. The idea for Resistance School emerged from a series of late-night conversations among a small group of Harvard Kennedy School classmates, among them former campaign staffers; community and labor organizers; advocates for human rights, campaign finance reform, and veterans’ affairs; and journalists. They convinced a few professors to help them create and teach a four-session course focussing on techniques for challenging 45. There’s a syllabus and homework, but no grades. The sessions, starring some of the country’s foremost experts on advocacy and organizing, are available on-line, and free to all.
WETHE WALL-OF-US
45 promised a wall. What he got instead was a Wall of Us. This California-based group takes on Big Issues – lack of transparency in 45’s administration, defunding of science, the Russia investigation, failure of 45 to reveal his tax returns, and more — and explains what we can do about it. Each week they send an email with 4 concrete Acts of Resistance, and just enough background info to know why the issue is an important one, and why what we do will help.
WE LET AMERICA VOTE
We have a voting problem in America. Politicians are trying to stop Americans from voting because of who they are likely to vote for. Extreme voter suppression laws that disproportionately impact people based on their race or ethnicity, gender, age, or income have started popping up all over the country. Jason Kander, a former Army Captain who served in Afghanistan, along with his Board of A-list activists and politicians, is fighting back with Let America Vote.
WE RISE STRONGER
With the lofty goal of becoming the largest citizen watchdog organization in the U.S., Rise Stronger helps us take action against 45’s Administration, Congress, and state and local governments. The People’s Calendar tells us when and where to show up to Resist, and the United States of Resistance weekly newsletter keeps us up-to-date on what our fellow Resisters are up to.
WE COSECHA: MAY 1st “DAY WITHOUT IMMIGRANTS”
Cosecha is working to win protection, dignity, and respect for America’s 11 million undocumented residents, through organizing mass non-cooperation, boycotts, and strikes. What would a day without immigrants look like? What would a week without restaurant workers feel like? This volunteer-fueled organization is working to make sure that the invisible are made visible, and the raids, deportations, and exploitation stop. Learn how you can support these efforts on May 1 and beyond.
WESTROLLING THUNDER
Babies as activists? You betcha! Not only does 45 want to defund Planned Parenthood and increase the number of unwanted children, but once kids are born he doesn’t want to take care of them. Science is clear about what infants need to thrive, but oh, there’s that thing about 45 not believing in science. What are babies to do? Strolling Thunder! Babies from all 50 states will descend upon the Capitol this Tuesday, May 2 to advocate for what they need to thrive. Who could say no to babies in strollers?
Keep the good news coming. Just signed up for Wall of Us. One action a week. Here we go.
I’m signing up for Swing Left, Sweet Chariot. It’s heartening to learn about these organizations. Keep the Good News coming!