Resistance in a Time of Rising Facism

[Post last updated: March 4, 2025]

What can we as individuals do in this time of rising facism? I know many are feeling helpless as we watch injustice after injustice happen both at the national level and in our own community. It’s so easy to downward spiral into venting about the state of our country, so I have been doing some deep thinking on what resistance looks like and how to: 

1. Resist complacency;
2. Understand what is in my control and what is not; 
3. Be sustainable in this fight, which is going to be longer than any of us could ever dream it will take; and
4. Find joy, care, and connection to community and to remember what we are fighting for.

If you are at a loss for what to do right now, then block out an hour, two, or three each week —or whatever time you have— and start working through this imperfect 10-step approach to actively resist rising facism. Seriously, put in your calendar. Treat it like you would a business meeting or doctor’s appointment. Build new habits because we are in it for the long haul.

You don’t have to do it all. I really like this social change ecosystem guide by Deepa Iyer to help ground my work in the places that make the most sense for me. I still engage in all of these 10-steps as much as possible and I try to do the work within the roles that resonate the most for me. 

1. Find ways to stay informed without doomscrolling.

For me, this means I give myself permission once a day to look at all the news and shitfuckery that is happening. I subscribe to a few folks recapping and analyzing what is going on (I personally subscribe via SubStack’s free subscription to: Heather Cox Richardson and The Anti-Authoritarian Playbook) and I set up a filter that sends them to a folder called RESISTANCE NEWS so I can read them when I am feeling resourced enough to handle the news. 

I am keeping myself sane by dedicating my professional social media posts (via LinkedIn, Facebook, and Bluesky) to solely uplifting ways to take action that feel tangible and meaningful. This means focusing on where I have influence and power, especially at the local level. I also draw strong boundaries around people — especially those who have not been in the social justice space until just now — who want to debrief their feelings with me. 

This means I have also been hiding folks whose social media feeds are simply them regurgitating that the sky is falling and using social media to process the reality we are living in. I’d rather hear what folks are doing and how they are taking action.

2. For those with financial means and socioeconomic power and privilege, set up ongoing recurring donations to:

Organizations who are successful at suing the administration (e.g. I have monthly donations to the ACLU pre-scheduled and I encourage you to support the ones suing on topics that are the most meaningful to you and your loved ones). I check in on this litigation tracker every so often to remind myself that resistance is happening nationwide.

Local organizations who are supporting those most impacted by the administration’s policies and hatred (if you don’t have money but have time and skills, consider volunteering or finding other ways to support): Latino Community Association, Warm Springs Community Action Team, Papalaxsimisha, Theo Perez Strong Coffee Fundraiser for Warm Springs Longhouse, The Father’s Group, COCC Afrocentric Program Scholarship Fund, APIC (Asian and Pacific Islanders Collective), PFLAG Prineville, Prideville, Central Oregon Earthseeds (mutual aid), Gender Hive. 

Regional: Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette, Pride Foundation, Oregon Humanities, Seeding Justice. 

3. Research and cultivate a list of businesses that support Project 2025, are enabling the current administration, or are obeying in advance and actively boycott them — not just for a day but as long as it takes.

Note that these lists are not exhaustive. I encourage folks to proactively research and create your own list based on your values. [Stay tuned: I’m working on a list that will be made available to the public hopefully by the end of March].

I’ve seen a lot of grassroots movements around a single boycott day, or targeting a few companies for a week. That’s a tiny dent in these giant corporations’ income. I have been thinking a lot about the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which was over one year — from December 5, 1955 to December 20, 1956 — and what we can learn from that success. It has been fundamental in shaping my thinking about boycott and what it means.

Find ways to let those companies know exactly why you are boycotting them (e.g. they donated to the Trump campaign, they eliminated their DEI program, etc.), whether through their customer service line or their social media. While I haven’t paid for an upgraded Amazon account in years, I recently deleted my Amazon account completely. And not that there was any risk of this, but I’ll never spend money that benefits Tesla. I’ve also been keeping a list of local places that have caused a lot of harm (e.g. Kevista and We’re the Wurst) and they’ll never see my consumer dollars.

We live in a world that — if we have even a modicum of financial stability — we have choices. We might be inconvenienced, but I wonder about the price tag on democracy. It’s easy to say “oh well” and resort back to 2-day shipping on Amazon, but that’s when I think about complacency and have to check myself and ask — is this fleeting moment of convenience worth the slippery slope we are on?

[There are some folks who are just barely getting by right now. This type of resistance requires the privilege of time, reliable transportation, and choice. Rural folks may only be able to find basic needs at the local Walmart or Dollar General and that’s okay — there’s space for boycott on some of the national movement days. Even small shifts matter, so check out the section below for where you might make changes.]

4. Research and cultivate a list of businesses that you know are values aligned and support them as much as possible.

I find it easier to create a list of places that I know I’ve done my research around and create new habits around supporting them. Google doesn’t judge, do your homework and give yourself grace around this process — I went down a rabbit hole of vetting Trader Joe’s, who has had some practices around unions that I staunchly disagree with and at the same time, I know that their leadership as individuals supported Harris in the last election. No one is going to be perfect, but if my choice is Walmart or Trader Joe’s, then I can make the less evil choice.

I specifically support businesses in the following order when I absolutely have to shop (I’m moving more towards a solidarity economy and rely more heavily on my local Buy Nothing group, local non-profit thrift stores, and gear consignment shops):

Local companies that are owned by BIPOC, LGBTQ+ folks, Disabled community members. Since I don’t have permission to list them here, I’ll just say — do your homework! Do the U-Turn to support a Mexican neighbor selling tamales. Be intentional and shop with your values. I’m especially loving basically anything from from Witchcrafting by Josie, who did give me permission to be in this blog.

Local companies that are values aligned. I’ve been keeping an eye out on places that have the progress Pride flag prominently featured and those that have taken strong stances about their support of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and Disabled folks (e.g. Stihl Whiskey). 

Local companies in general, but especially those that are community oriented. I have no idea what the political alignment of the owners of Local Acres and Grocery Outlet are, but until I learn otherwise, I appreciate that Local Acres really features local products and the Bend Grocery Outlet owners absolutely rocked the pandemic by providing daily videos of what they had in stock and when things would be restocked to support the safety of our community. And both bring groceries at more affordable prices… while I love Locavore, I can’t always afford to shop there.

National companies that are proactively pushing back and doubling down on their DEI efforts. Again, Costco is rising on my list of places that I can support without feeling like I’m contributing to facism.

National companies that are pro-democracy. I like OpenSecrets, Goods Unite Us, Accountable US Corporate Anti-Democracy Donations Database, and Center for Political Accountability as a starting point to vet companies and the folks behind those companies. And in the absence of any other information, if I absolutely need to shop at a big box store or national company, I’ll find the highest rated one I can and the ones that did not donate to Trump. I’m grateful that Albertsons/Safeway and Costco are relatively less evil, scoring a B here (as of March 4, 2025).

5. Mobilize for any and all elections — local, state, or national.

You’ll notice I am not putting Elon Musk or Donald Trump on blast here. What is happening is much larger than the two of them. It’s everyone who is complicit — from the Republican party to those obeying in advance and even to those who have the privilege of time and money and are taking the “bury my head in the sand” approach.

Our local politics has its own complexities, so (1) I encourage folks new to politics to run and (2) I also encourage you to understand our local political landscape as well to level expectations. And if you don’t run, then support those who are!

May 2025 Special Election: COCC, School Districts, Bend Parks and Rec, and the Library all have seats coming up for election. These are critical spaces for those who are being most impacted by national-level politics. In particular, Marcus LeGrand and Kina Chadwick are up for reelection for the Bend La Pine School Board, and their voices are critical to support our QTBIPOC students.

November General Election:

• At the local level: I’ve already got my eye out on the election next year, where we have huge opportunities for our County Commission. Both Tony DeBone and Patti Adair are up for reelection and we will have two new seats to help disperse power. Phil Chang could really use some support as the only voice of reason and democratic values on the Commission.
• At the national level: Get invested in any close race that could flip seats at the national level — whether it’s donating, writing postcards, or making phone calls to canvas for candidates who believe in democracy. If you have the privilege of time and money or a remote work situation, take some time to remote work from battleground communities and support election protection. 

6. Stay politically engaged at all levels of government and make your voice heard.

It’s so easy to stay silent and lose ourselves in the narrative that our voices don’t matter. What I do know is that staying silent does absolutely nothing. When I served as the chair of the Transportation Bond Oversight Committee, being able to point to overwhelming public comment that supported transportation equity made my job a lot easier. And when folks weren’t in support, I got to see where the disconnect was and try to find ways to at least address those issues so folks felt heard.

Whether it is submitting public comment to the Deschutes County Commissioners about your dismay at the 2-1 decision to terminate the staff County DEIA committee and to ensure the work plan developed by staff gets implemented, or to support our immigrant communities, staying silent makes us complicit. I focus my public comment at specific decision making points to keep myself sane. I also try to remember to thank our elected officials who make values aligned decisions because it is a thankless job sometimes.

City Council Meetings and Agendas:

Bend City Council	Comment can be submitted anytime by emailing council@bendoregon.gov or during meetings
Redmond City Council	Comment can be submitted as outlined here: https://www.redmondoregon.gov/government/city-council/council-meeting-info
Madras City Council	Contact folks individually: https://www.ci.madras.or.us/citycouncil/page/elected-officials or attend a Council meeting, complete a Public Comments form, and present the issue during the Public Comments period of the meeting
Prineville City Council	Comment can be submitted anytime by emailing council@cityofprineville.com and public comments, go to the recorder@cityofprineville.com

County Commissions: 

Deschutes County Commission	Public comment can be submitted anytime on anything by emailing citizeninput@deschutes.org or by leaving a brief voicemail at (541) 385-1734. Not all agenda items are open for public comment during meetings.
Jefferson County Commission	Contact folks individually: https://www.jeffco.net/countycommissioners or provide citizen input at board meetings
Crook County Commission	Contact folks individually: https://co.crook.or.us/county-admin/page/board-commissioners or at meetings

State Legislature: Use this great tool to find your representatives and make your voice heard.

Federal Legislature: I’ve seen some folks really like using https://5calls.org/ to call your congressperson to influence policy. From what I recall from my days in Washington DC and my friends who worked on Capitol Hill, calling is the best way to impact policy. Legislative aids will tally up the top 3 issues folks are calling about and every so often, you might actually get their aid on the call.

7. Engage in mutual aid and community support.

Whether it is a GoFundMe to support immigration attorney costs for a detained loved one or to help with the costs of gender affirming care, our BIPOC, LGBTQ+ neighbors, and Disabled community members are being disproportionately impacted. 

I’ve also been learning more about how worker solidarity and supporting unions is can support defeating facism. Collective bargaining is a powerful pro-democracy tool and where workers have this power, states have more equitable economic structures, and social structures. Most of our current work protections are thanks to unions. Support our friends in unions who are on strike for

What about protest marches and rallies? You’ll almost never see me out at a march or rally because they often don’t create change. They can be important organizing tools if they are used to galvanize committed ongoing and coordinated resistance work, but most of the ones I see here in Central Oregon — while well intentioned — aren’t achieving that. I will say that I have a soft spot in my heart for youth-led rallies, even if they aren’t particularly effective, because it’s a starting point for the next generation.

8. Continue your learning journey about how we got here and use your positionality within our current socio-political landscape.

For many of us in social justice work, this moment is in many ways unsurprising (though we hoped desperately for our country to prove us wrong). Whether it is digging into the history that got us here (check out this timeline that is Central Oregon specific or attending events put on by local organizations who are supporting those most impacted by the administration’s policies and hatred. 

Speak out when you see injustice happening in our own community. Have the hard conversation with that family member or friend who might just listen to you if you can find a way to connect with them as humans. 

Find ways to do the work even in the face of threats from the federal government. Be subversive. Call the work something else. Stay true to your values. 

9. This one might be the hardest — no matter how much rage there is at what is going on, no matter how much you want to dehumanize anyone who voted for what is happening now, find a way to welcome people into the resistance who realized they made a mistake.

I have long believed that doing social justice work through a restorative justice framework is the way we can all move forward in a collective liberation framework. If we want to see a more just world, we need to create space for folks to process their shame, be able to admit their mistakes, and grow.  

10. Stay connected to joy and healing in your safest spaces.

I love this quote by Dan Savage which is my daily reminder that it is okay to unplug and take a vacation, laugh with my partner, feel all my feelings, go for that bike ride, and draw boundaries that help me get through each day. (I want to acknowledge that this moment in time is larger than the AIDS epidemic or COVID — this is the rapid dismantling of democracy to replace it with an authoritarian state — it only took the Nazis 2 months to dismantle democracy in Germany.)

“During the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, we buried our friends in the morning, we protested in the afternoon, and we danced all night. The dance kept us in the fight because it was the dance we were fighting for. It didn’t look like we were going to win then and we did. It doesn’t feel like we’re going to win now but we could. Keep fighting, keep dancing.”

In solidarity,

LeeAnn