Don’t overthink: just click something!
Regift Starbucks
Are you in a profession that gets a TON of Starbucks gift cards? Teachers, daycare, even students are given small Starbucks gift cards as though it’s the national currency.
Regift them to people living on the street. Even a small purchase provides WiFi, charging and bathroom access.
Protests that Count
There are multiple forms of protest, but today we’re going to talk about the BIG dates. These are the coordinated events nationwide where the key is visibility — and crowd numbers. Sign up for events like the October 18th No Kings! protest to help organizers report on attendance. If you live in a small place,…
Boycott Sinclair
Sinclair isn’t just capitulating, it’s eager for more. Identify local Sinclair-owned stations. Be polite when you call — staff may be on your side — to tell them you’ll be asking local advertisers to stop ad buys. Click through for details
Audit your TV
Write down every radio, TV and cable source you get news or programming from. When you have a complete list, look up who owns them. If you don’t like the answers, or you don’t have much diversity, replace some of your sources.
General Strike
Strikes and boycotts are effective when they have sufficient participation. A general strike is a tall order in a country as big as ours, but we’re building our skills, communication and understanding with more targeted actions.
To grow from here, we need to organize. Start by signing the generalstrike.us pledgecard. Click through for details.
Splurge!
Splurge on a convenience that will free up time or energy for resistance work. If you always burn the rice, get a rice cooker and call your Senator every time you use it. (Messages count!)
Support PBS
The regime cut federal funds for PBS, resulting in budget shortfalls and staff reductions at local stations nationwide. This eliminates one of our last sources for independent, non-commercial news, including long-form journalism.
Government Closures
Prepare an “elevator pitch” to use whenever someone blames the government shutdown on Democrats, or “both sides” it. The self-proclaimed King of negotiation, profanely refused to negotiate.
Carry Cash
Anonymous cash fuels resistance and keeps funds in small businesses’ hands. Large companies and the government want to track every purchase. Get cash-back at the grocery store and normalize using it for tips and small purchases.
Go to a Museum
Go to a museum. Visit a park. Ride the bus. If we don’t use public resources, they look expendable. When we appreciate them, we stand up for them. Pay admission, or check your city for “public access” dates. (In Seattle, that’s the first Thursday of each month.)
Support local farming
Support a local farm: buy fall produce, go apple-picking or stop off for local honey or pickles to gift this holiday season.
Keep Calm
Staying informed but calm is a trick these days. To avoid disconnecting or shutting down with overwhelm, curate your news sources regularly. Do you have reliable, steady voices that use rational, calm language? Raise the volume on those, while minimizing ones that leave you feeling so panicked you can’t act.
Support Artists
Directly support the people creating inspiring content. Pick and author, musician, comedian or artist who inspires or leads you and find out how they monetize. Pay them directly when you can, and promote them when you can’t.
Read a Book
Winter brings cozy weather for tea and reading. Order a couple of history or how-to books that will fuel your resistance, and make time to read them.
Good Neighbors
Create relationships in your neighborhood. Do it formally through a neighborhood project, or take the next step with someone. Wave, borrow a cup of sugar and take back cookies, or invite them to dinner. Start slow and build.
Have some fun!
Buy tickets for yourself (and a friend?) and attend a local entertainment event, especially if it’s a benefit for a cause you value! Musicians, spoken word poets, theatre — get out and have some fun saving the world!
Postcard Protest
Cards and postcards are harder to ignore than phone calls or emails. There are a number of well-developed active campaigns. (Click through for details.)
Buy stamps, paper and pens, and go to town!
Collage and Charcuterie
Invite friends over for a night of anyone-can-do it art to build community and blow off steam. Provide everything yourself, or go potluck. Click through for ideas.
Get PBS Passport
PBS funding has been cut, Sinclair and Nexstar are eagerly licking the regime’s boots, and let’s face it, Netflix stopping sending mail years ago. For a $7/mo donation, PBS provides extended content access. It’s a donation with benefits! (And basic is FREE!)
Small Spectacles
Small protests lack the collective energy of big protest days, but they’re important. By keeping resistance in the public eye we remind people that what’s happening isn’t normal.
Fun and spectacle help. Buy a bubble gun, distribute cowbells, or create a costume to stand on corners alone or in groups.
Join Costco
Costco has re-asserted its commitment to DEI and fair pay repeatedly over the years. If bulk buys are too much, consider a mini co-op or donate spare units to a food bank. Click through for nuance.
Recurring donations
Instead of annual gifts at the holidays, or for pledge drives, shift to equivalent recurring donations.
Get Fresh Meals
In many areas you can get prepared meals to heat at home, made locally with good ingredients. Some are stand-alone businesses, others are part of a network. If you get take-out or convenience food regularly, look into this alternative in your area.
Shutdown (SEP ’25 edition)
A government shutdown seems likely. If it happens, many services will be impacted on October 1st, so take care of any government business you need to handle ASAP. This includes phone calls, in-office visits, and even web sites (because staff may interact on the backend.)
Support Public Media
On October 1st, 2025 our public media went without public funding for the first time in their history. We fix that by funding them directly. Donate, volunteer, or buy merchandise.
Economic resilience
Prices are rising and economic indicators aren’t good. Sit down with your family budget and give some thought to resilience. This may last a while, so look for sustainable adjustments.
Cultural Calendaring
Find and import a calendar to your digital planner with important dates for other ethnic communities. Avoid scheduling meetings then. Post greetings online for important celebrations.
Share Gift Links
Many subscriptions come with gift links. Terms vary — you might get a set number per month, or per subscription. Research the terms for any newsgroups you subscribe to, then use your gift links to share stories you think are important.
Military Connections
Reconnect with friends or family in the military. Start with an email or postcard if you’re estranged. If even that seems like too much, take a veteran friend to lunch and ask if they’re willing to put in the labor of talking about military culture. Cultural sensitivity is always the first step in alliance.
Tithe for Change
Tithe for Change If your church home isn’t fighting for freedom, redirect your monthly donations to someone who is, and tell them why. Remind them to be neighborly!
Hellmouth
Are you all-in on Halloween? Plan a party or yard display around a political theme like “Death of Democracy.” Plan a political costume that expresses your hopes or fears.
If you live in a conservative area, turn up the volume on a caricature of Trump. Then play it perfectly straight.
Click through for inspiration.
Schedule Resistance
Important things go on the calendar, so remember to add protest dates, voting deadlines, community meetings or free museum days on your calendar!
Make time for what matters!
Get Certified Documents
Get certified copies of your birth certificate and any documents that track name changes since that point. This includes ALL marriage and divorce certificates for many women.
#WarRavagedPortland
Ridicule is a great way to fight authoritarians. Respect is essential to their fear campaign. Nothing deflates that faster than humor at their expense.
Find and share #WarRavagedPortland posts, or create your own.
Committee for the First Amendment
The Committee for the First Amendment was a McCarthy era resistance group out of Hollywood. They used their skills to speak up for the constitution. Jane Fonda’s father was a founder, and she has launched the group. https://www.committeeforthefirstamendment.com
Epstein Victims Matter
Read a statement by one or more of Epstein’s trafficking survivors or one of the many witnesses corroborating their stories. Share a summary of what you learned.
Make a Statement
Get some window paints and decorate your car with patriotic, progressive messages. This is an easy, fun way to flag support for protests or specific events, without adding permanent stickers to your car.