March, interrupted: When plans go South

By Julie M. Friesen

 

I’m at the center of the world right now, but soon I’ll go far right of center, to Southwest Georgia. My husband has lost a grandmother, and his mother has lost her mother. I need to be there, meaning I can’t be here.

After November 8, a groundswell movement has given me hope. Its extent is not apparent to the public yet, as the media is understandably busy covering the agenda of the new administration and the constant provocations of its leader.

Meanwhile, I’m getting invitations to secret Facebook groups. I’m reading the Indivisible Guide, that teaches those of us inexperienced in civic activism how to hold our members of Congress accountable. I’m watching grassroots-born rallies mushroom all over the country. I’m overhearing an acquaintance at a party casually mention holding resistance meetings in his living room.

As much as I dread January 20, I look forward to the 21st, the day the resistance moves from living rooms and secret groups to the streets of the nation’s capital.

I wanted to be there to make the statement that we will not sit casually by while our rights are infringed—and not just women’s rights, but First Amendment rights, Voting Rights, and Equal Protection rights.

We don’t approve of the discourse, especially that taking place in 140 characters or less. We don’t approve of the advisors or Cabinet nominees. We don’t approve of the proposed legislation. We don’t approve of the bizarre flirtation (and fear the possible collusion) with Vladimir Putin. We don’t approve of the ethics conflicts that are being minimized or outright ignored. We don’t approve of the attacks on the press. Or Muslims. Or immigrants. Or women. Or Black people. Or people with disabilities. Or the LGBTQ community. Or individuals like John Lewis.

We’re here, too.

Instead of marching in D.C., I will be driving past fields dotted with cotton and Trump-Pence signs. After the funeral, I’ll sit with my in-laws who voted for DJT, watching Fox News and biting my tongue raw. But, though I can’t be at the march, it still gives me hope to know that our freedoms of assembly and speech will be vividly on display. This time, I’ll put my voice on the page. Next time, I’ll take it to the street.

We have a voice so long as we exercise our right to use it. And that can be done anywhere, even in Southwest Georgia.

 


Julie Friesen is a lawyer in Baltimore, Maryland, and a writer in her living room.

Photo credit: Daniel Oines via a Creative Commons license.

INDIVISIBLE: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda

A note from Writers Resist about The Indivisible Guide:

Donald Trump’s election has motivated a lot of people in a lot of ways, revealing their smarts, their generosity and their passion for making the United States a safe and nurturing home for all people. One of the more pragmatic responses is Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda. The guide is cool, not only because it’s free and fabulous, but because the Indivisible team that put it together is a group of seasoned former congressional staffers who know exactly how to get our representatives’ attention. They tell you, in simple terms, the tricks of the advocacy trade.

They’ve also started an online directory of grassroots groups that are using the guide, the Indivisible Local Group Directory. According the the Indivisible team, “[y]ou can now search our directory and find people who are committed to standing with you in this fight. If you don’t find a group in your area, start one yourself! People will join you—there are Indivisible readers in every congressional district in the country.”

We strongly recommend the guide for people ready to conduct advocacy at the local level. If you’re one of them, read on—you’ll be able to download the guide below, thanks to the team’s generosity.

A Note from the Indivisible Team

Since this guide went live as a Google Doc, we’ve received an overwhelming flood of messages from people all over the country working to resist the Trump agenda. We’re thrilled and humbled by the energy and passion of this growing movement. We’ll be updating the guide based on your feedback and making it interactive ASAP. You can sign up for updates at www.IndivisibleGuide.com.

Every single person who worked on this guide and website is a volunteer. We’re doing this in our free time without coordination or support from our employers. Our only goal is to help the real leaders on the ground who are resisting Trump’s agenda on their home turf. We hope you will take this document and use it however you see fit.

We want to hear your stories, questions, comments, edits, etc., so please feel free to ping some of us on Twitter: @IndivisibleTeam@ezralevin, @angelrafpadilla, @texpat, @Leahgreenb. Or email IndivisibleAgainstTrump@gmail.com.

And please, please, please spread the word! Only folks who know this exists will use it.

Good luck—we will win.

Download the Indivisible Guide in PDF here or visit the Indivisible website for other options.