Community Organizing Tools To Resist Trump

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Photo by Gage Skidmore via Flickr 

Thanks to concerned citizens taking a cue from Barack Obama’s farewell address, community organizing is making a comeback in response to Donald Trump’s actions as President.

Whether you’re talking about Trump’s recent travel ban or the fact that he’s appointed a white supremacist journalist to the National Security Council, many citizens are taking action to resist Donald Trump’s efforts as President. In an era where free speech is threatened both by “alternative facts” and the media being declared “the opposition party”, many people are using community organizing skills in an effort to begin pushing back against a seemingly autocratic presidential administration.

Even Mayor Rahm Emanuel has openly challenged Trump’s efforts, meaning that every community impacted by recent events is rising up, organizing to openly resist Trump’s administration and their sudden, extreme policies.

Technology is making a huge impact on that process, allowing people to engage like-minded citizens and stay informed about current events. Not just through Twitter hashtags, but in websites, mobile applications, and other tools geared towards community organizing to resist Trump’s Presidential efforts. (NOTE: Fast Company has also provided information on other resources to check out as well).

In that spirit, here are some great resources for organizing your local community around resisting Trump. Although some are geared more towards larger scale community organizing, many of these resources can help you as individuals feel informed and engaged.

• Consider reading Organizing for Social Change, Rules for Radicals, and other related books about community organizing…and checking them out through your local branch of the Chicago Public Library, which has plenty of resources (including Internet-To-Go portable hotspots and free meeting rooms) to make your efforts to resist Trump much easier.
• With an increased amount of “fake news” and “alternative facts” distributed via social media, you should watch this video to develop an “Internet Truth Kit”. Having an ability to look behind the obvious headlines is always a great place to start.
• If you’re looking to track community organizing efforts around demonstrations and rallies that resist Trump, Research Buzz has a great how-to page to help you track such events on Twitter, IFTTT, and other online tools.
• Although the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives allow you to find your elected officials, you might want to consider checking out 5 Calls – this site allows you to find and develop scripts for you to advocate around key legislation. (Although the Countable app allows you some insight, we find that directly contacting your legislators is much more effective for driving change).
• Want to know the progress of bills as they move through Congress? Track it via You can also track key legislation using GovTrack.us
• A great how-to resource for community organizing to resist Trump is Indivisible, a guide written by former congressional staffers on effective strategies for engaging your legislators.
• If you’re looking for allies in other parts of the country, consider adopting a “sister district”
• For many government workers, the media blackout (open in some areas) means a direct attack on whistle blowing – however, ProPublica has a great listing of how to contact them to release information.

For many of us, our lives are impacted by the recent, immediate actions of the incoming Presidential administration. Community organizing around resisting Trump is growing, and perhaps this is a sign of increased civic and social engagement on behalf of our citizens. Hopefully, this trend will continue to grow as we begin building and strengthening our communities, both in Chicago and throughout the rest of our country.

Know of any other great resources? Please leave them in the comments (which are moderated) or join the conversation via Facebook. Thanks for reading!

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How A Chicago Guy Grew Up in St. Louis

Every month, Chicago Now Bloggers participate in “Blogapalooz-Hour”, where we all write about a particular topic in one hour’s time, and this month’s topic is “Write about the first time you felt like you were a grown-up.” What’s particularly ironic is that I felt like a grown-up….when I moved to St. Louis and lived there for seven years. Short story – after leaving grad school, moved to Oregon because I got engaged. Planned on settling down, work in the chemical dependency field…and then the relationship ended. After finding a job in St. Louis at the urging of one of my friends, I moved to St. Louis during a very hectic December, living there until I moved back to Chicago in March 2007 because of my mother’s health.

Your Inauguration Day 2017 Event Roundup

On January 20th, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as President of the United States. For some people, Inauguration Day 2017 means a successful transition of power; for the vast majority, Inauguration Day 2017 confirms that greater activism, advocacy, and monitoring will be needed for a man unqualified to lead our country.

Many will protest by avoiding watching or recognizing the Inauguration Day ceremony on television. For those seeking other alternatives and who wish to meet like-minded people in their community, here are some upcoming events and activities in the Chicago area.

• AfterWords Bookstore is holding a free discussion on racism and diversity in America on Thursday, January 19th at 6:00 pm for a discussion on racism and diversity in America. Tolerance In the Age of Trump will be moderated by Brandon Smith of the Chicago Reader, and led by Christian Picciolini, author of Romantic Violence: Memoirs of An American Skinhead and John K Wilson, author of Trump Unveiled: Exposing the Bigoted Billionaire. Food and beverage will be provided.
• As we highlighted in a previous post, Artists Against Hate will be holding a fundraiser for the ACLU of Illinois on January 20th at 8:00 pm. If you want to purchase tickets for this unique Inauguration Day 2017 fundraiser, please visit http://artistsagainsthate.org
• Many other organizations are planning Inauguration Day protests, including a non-violent protest at Trump Tower in Chicago. For more details, please visit their organizing page on Facebook.
• Also via Facebook, there will be a protest at Daley Plaza on Inauguration Day at 3:00 pm.
• Finally, for those unable to make any event and/or desiring to avoid coverage of the Trump Inauguration,  the Decades Digital Channel (Channel 2.2 over the air, and available via several cable providers) will highlight the past 14 televised inaugural speeches (from Kennedy to Obama) on January 19th and 20th. (Don’t worry – the speeches will also be streamed via Decades.com on the 19th as well)

For those who have other community-based alternative events around Inauguration Day, please feel free to let us know via the comments below or privately via this Contact page. (Blog comments are moderated) We also invite you to join our growing Facebook community…and as always, thanks for reading!

Artists Against Hate on Inauguration Day 2017

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(Special thanks to Dawn Xiana Moon for her help putting together this post)

After a very contentious presidential election, many Chicago residents are pledging to actively resist Donald Trump’s agenda. Because of his focus on dismantling many of the programs that impact social change and civil liberties, there will be many ways to protest on Inauguration Day 2017. However, you are invited to attend the Artists Against Hate fundraiser at the Uptown Underground theater on January 20th (Inauguration Day 2017) at 8:00 pm.

It’s a collection of a dozen of Chicago’s finest circus performers, musicians, dancers, magicians, visual artists, and fire spinners join forces to fight Trump with art, entertainment, and most importantly, asserting the values that the incoming Trump administration wishes to deny. Donald Trump’s behavior during the election – rhetoric vilifying a variety of groups, including women, people of color, immigrants, members of the LGBTQ+ community, Muslims, and people with disabilities – demonstrates a hateful, negative attitude. Artists Against Hate is looking to provide a healthy, positive alternative, as well as an open resistance to Trump’s attitude and policies. Performers include

• Dawn Xiana Moon, director of Raks Geek
• Thom Britton, emcee/fire-eater
• Kamrah, bellydancer
• Keri Kazz, magician
• Greta and Skye, aerialists
• Michi Trota, fire spinner
• Keith Burman, rock/pop musician
• Christina King, bellydancer
• Michele Thomas, jazz vocalist

In addition, there will be an art auction with items donated by Raks Geek, Terry Gant of Third Coast Comics, and Carlye Frank.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit the American Civil Liberties Union, an organization whose mission focuses on “…protecting the liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, the state Constitution, and state/federal human rights laws. The ACLU accomplishes its goals through litigating, lobbying and educating the public on a broad array of civil liberties issues.” (Click here for a more thorough exploration of the ACLU’s focus and activities)

Finally, Artists Against Hate is an event for those over 21 years of age, and sign language interpretation is available for those who require it. Tickets are available via this site, and you can get 15% off the ticket price if you use the code RESISTANCE by January 12th.

For those who wonder why we’re highlighting this event, it’s simple: everyone shares the same basic rights under our Constitution. The incoming administration has made their divisive agenda, which does not respect those rights, very clear. On Inauguration Day 2017, you have an opportunity to take a stand against such an agenda by supporting a great, noble organization that works to ensure the rights of everyone. And…have a fun time while doing it.

And as always, if you know an organization that deserves to be highlighted (no matter how small or large), please feel free to mention it in the comments below. (And yes, comments are moderated). In addition, you can reach this blog directly via our Facebook page, or contact me privately – information is available via the About page)

As always, thanks for reading!