How to Protest from Home

Warriors for Democracy Don’t Necessarily Have to March

Many of us cannot march.

We cannot, or prefer not to, attend rallies and protests and beautiful events like the recent human statue of liberty on the Commons in downtown Minneapolis.

Maybe we have energy-limiting chronic illnesses. Maybe we have limited mobility and can’t easily get to events. Perhaps we are caring full-time for elderly parents or children with special needs and can’t leave them. Perhaps we are simply too burdened by the task of making our living in an economy that oppresses the working class to have the energy to attend a march.

Take heart. There are oh so many things we CAN do.

First, do not underestimate the value of educating yourself. A democracy movement needs people who know both the current issues and the history behind those current issues.

Indivisible Twin Cities emails a weekly newsletter with a section titled, “What We’re Reading and Following.” Last week’s newsletter linked to another Substack, a (free) New York Times article, and even a Facebook post. Subscribe to the weekly newsletter here.

Many of our best historians have found ways to share their knowledge with us at this pivotal moment in history. Timothy Snyder’s influential pamphlet On Tyranny is a must-read for our times. Look for copies at your local independent bookstore.

Snyder’s Substack and Heather Cox Richardson’s daily Letters from an American provide brain-clarifying insights into our past, present, and future. Other names to look for include Robert Reich (on labor), Paul Krugman (on the economy), and Nikole Hannah-Jones (on race). But don’t be overwhelmed by all the material. This month, choose one author to get acquainted with. Next month, another. Let your education proceed naturally and at your own pace.

Second, be bold in leading with curiosity. Talk to family members, friends, and neighbors, and ask them, what do you need? What role do you want government—at all levels—to play in your life? What do you want politicians to hear from you? Then, be courageous in sharing with those people what you’ve learned and in sending them information you’ve been reading that describes a progressive way forward to rebuilding American democracy.

Much of what we can do involves the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. So, along with the first three, write. In simple, genuine language, write to your elected representatives. All U.S. senators and representatives have a website that lists their physical mailing address and provides a contact form. Use both. Send digital comments, and follow up with a physical letter. If you’re unable to leave your home or run errands, ask someone to get you paper, envelopes, and stamps.

State and local representatives may not have their own websites, but every state and most cities make it easy to find out who your reps are and to contact them. In Minnesota, find your state reps on the legislature’s website by entering your address, and then use the “contact” button next to their names to get their physical addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses.

You can also put your writing—and artistic skills—to work with Markers for Democracy. They provide ways to get involved with postcard writing. Check out some of the colorful postcards featured on their website. Similarly, Vote Forward is testing ways to connect with voters to encourage them to turn out.

Phone calls are relatively easy to make. Representatives are fielding a lot of them these days, but that needn’t stop you from calling, too. You can get involved in phone or text banking with Mobilize (use the “filter” button to find the type of event you want) or sign up to volunteer with the Minnesota DFL party.

All of these skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—can be used on behalf of pro-democracy organizations, too. Indivisible Twin Cities needs countless volunteers to make phone calls or make public comments. See the Calls to Action page on our website.

If life has blessed you with resources, give as generously as you can. ITC recently published a Substack entitled “Five Organizations Worth Your Support in the Fight to Defend Elections,” and your reading will undoubtedly introduce you to other organizations to donate to.

The reality, though, for many of us who can’t march, is that we also can’t earn an income. So giving financially is a request that simply leaves us feeling discouraged and sidelined. But we can withhold our limited dollars to equally good effect.

Consider not shopping with corporations that are either supporting the current administration, are not objecting to it loudly enough, or are engaged in labor practices that hurt the middle and working classes.

For example, can you refrain from ordering on Amazon? Family and friends may look at you as though you’ve gone daft, but Amazon, along with Walmart, has done more harm to our local communities, especially our rural communities, than perhaps any other corporations. If you live in a small community, going without these two vendors could be genuinely difficult, but if you can reduce your purchases through them by just, say, fifty percent, and spend that fifty percent at locally owned businesses, you will be helping turn our economy toward a future in which small businesses thrive and communities grow.

This administration is throwing so much at us all at once, violating such a breadth of laws and norms, that one individual cannot possibly address it all. So pick a lane. Pick one issue that is important to you, and spend your limited time and energy on that. Let it be the starting point of your conversations with others, the guiding parameters of your reading, and the focus of your letters and phone calls.

If everyone does something, no one has to do it all.

CALL TO ACTION:

Consider your circumstances, your health, your energy level, and your talents. Then find one thing to do today.