Indivisibles,

The political landscape is changing, and we have to continue to change with it. 

In the past, we’ve been able to lean directly on the power of the ballot box and the pressure we, as constituents, can bring to bear on our elected representatives. Whether it was saving the Affordable Care Act or kicking Trump out of office in 2020, we’ve proven that organizing on a local level to drive progress works -- and that is still true. 

But the pressing threat of authoritarianism means that we have to include new strategies to protect the future of our democracy and our people.

And that is why we are launching One Million Rising: a campaign to train one million people in the art of strategic non-cooperation to fight authoritarianism.

What changed?

The masks are off. Trump, MAGA Republicans, and their billionaire donors have given up on even pretending to govern for the people and are solely looking to line their own pockets and consolidate power.

We’re in a period of what the experts call “authoritarian breakthrough” -- a short period where a would-be authoritarian (i.e. Trump) sprints to rapidly concentrate and consolidate their power while eroding the norms and institutions that could serve as checks on that power. We’re witnessing this in real time through lawless executive orders, willful disregard for the courts, and vicious attacks on higher education, media, and state governments -- and that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

They are working to consolidate their power and bully everyone else -- businesses, media institutions, universities, law firms, and civil society -- into submission. 

How do we fight back?

They want us to believe that power in America comes from the top down. That Trump can simply declare himself a dictator, and everyone has to fall in line. That he’ll inevitably win.

But that’s a lie. Power isn’t top-down -- it’s bottom-up. Power flows up from the people; through the organizations, institutions, and communities that support the regime; and then to the regime itself. Think of it like a house -- the roof is the regime, the pillars holding up that roof are the organizations, and the foundation is the people.  

To prevent a slide into authoritarianism, we have to take on the pillars that hold up the roof.

What does this look like?

We’ll cover in depth what this looks like in the training, but here’s a taste of what the end results could look like: 

• A university refusing to adjust its curriculum at the whims of the president
• A faith institution declaring themselves a Sanctuary Church that will protect and shelter immigrants
• A business refusing to cooperate with ICE

Some of us will work on national campaigns. Some of us will work on local campaigns. Some will do both. But we all have a role, and we need millions of people to do their part. 

Join our One Million Rising trainings, starting July 16, to learn our new strategy to do just that. Here’s how they will break down:

History and experts agree on one thing: We CAN stop an authoritarian breakthrough. No matter how much wanna-be dictators try to convince us otherwise, we have the power. But it is going to take all of us working together to get it done. Join One Million Rising to learn how we’re going to work together to defend democracy and keep the power where it belongs -- with the people.

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team