At the beginning of the month, a new report released by Civicus placed the US on its civil society watchlist following sustained attacks on civic freedoms. “Civicus pointed to three major issues including the deployment of military to quell protests, growing restrictions placed on journalists and civil society, as well as the aggressive targeting of anti-war advocates surrounding Palestine.” With the recent deployment of the national guard and military in Washington DC, and plans to extend to other cities soon, you can read more about the lessons from the organizers at Free DC – “no single event or protest will fix this. What works is disciplined, connected organizing.” And, find helpful analysis from Protect Democracy about why these intimidation tactics are being used by the administration, coupled with advice on how to stop the deployments of the national guard in US cities.
In August we are also facing gerrymandering efforts ahead of the 2026 mid-terms. The Brennan Center explains what you need to know about partisan gerrymandering and how it impacts our democracy; you can also read insights on how to end ‘forever redistricting wars’. Another serious concern this month was the firing of the Chief Economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Trump didn’t just fire a civil servant. He attacked the last neutral signal in American public life: the truth in the data.” Watch this important video from health researchers at US universities who discuss the impacts of federal funding cuts. Additionally, with the increasing politization of the US Department of Justice, the legal profession can find inspiration to stand up in this article, Now is Not the Time for Anonymity.
We continue to be inspired by the experiences of pro-democracy movements in other countries and appreciate the eight rules of antiauthoritarianism shared in the new Democracy Atlas. Please check out the videos from the One Million Rising trainings that took place over the summer to learn: (1) How to dismantle authoritarian power using noncooperation that disrupts the system from within; (2) How to host and scale local resistance, turning community gatherings into movement-building nodes; and (3) How to build campaigns intentionally, linking local action to national strategy with purpose and impact.
Horizons’ Chief Organizer, Maria Stephan’s recent keynote at PAX Christi USA’s conference “Reclaiming the Power of Nonviolence in a Broken World” is now available for everyone, as are her slides. Jarvis Williams also published Reimagining Masculinity: Reevaluating the Aspirations of All Boys and Men in the Fight for Democracy on Horizons blog. And, you can listen to Chief Network Weaver, Julia Roig together with Merle MeGee from Everyday Democracy on The PlayFull Podcast episode “Brave Voices” exploring what it means to be brave in today’s fractured world.
Here are more of the resources we have been reading, watching, and listening to:
READING
Shifting Pillar Loyalties: A Guide for the Pro-Democracy Community
by Adam Fefer, Horizons Project & SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University
This report dives into how movements can influence regime-aligned institutions and why that matters in moments of democratic crisis. Key findings from the report include: (1) Persuasion over pressure – when trying to shift institutions like courts, media, or civil service, overt pressure often backfires. Quiet, trusted messengers on the inside are more effective; (2) Legitimacy loss, not moral appeals – institutions don’t defect because of right and wrong, they move when their alignment with the regime threatens their reputation or power; (3) Strategic noncooperation – when insiders delay, obstruct, or quietly refuse to carry out authoritarian orders, it can grind a regime’s agenda to a halt; (4) Cross-pillar coordination – the most effective resistance happens when different institutions (like journalists, doctors, or teachers) signal discontent together. Solidarity across sectors builds momentum.
Solidarity Stances: A Resource for Organizations and Movements Navigating Authoritarian Conditions
by the Building Movement Project
“In today’s political climate, where authoritarian threats are escalating across legal, cultural, economic, and social arenas, many organizations and networks are grappling with difficult, crucial questions: When do we speak out publicly? How do we express solidarity while also preserving our organizational and community safety? What conditions could support us in taking bolder stances and actions rooted in transformative solidarity practices? To help guide you through these challenges, this resource offers seven solidarity strategic stances that organizations and networks can use during moments of heightened chaos and crisis.”
Navigating Public Thinking about Democracy
by Frameworks Institute
Check out this summary of the FrameWorks Institute’s recent briefing on the mindsets that can support Authoritarian attitudes from their Culture Change Project. You can sign up for their monthly briefings here. “Warnings about authoritarianism are widespread, coming from sources ranging from late night TV hosts to political figures to academics. It’s important for us to understand how people are likely to be making sense of all this talk about “authoritarianism…Quantitative analysis found that out of all the mindsets we regularly track – which includes cross-cutting mindsets like individualism, mindsets around the economy like market naturalism, and pathologizing and essentializing mindsets around race and gender, among others – unity through restoration was the mindset with the single most powerful influence on authoritarian attitudes. In other words, it’s the biggest driver of authoritarian thinking.” For more insights to help your pro-democracy communications, you should also check out the new report by Beyond Conflict: Minds and Movements: A Brain Science Guide to Social Change Messaging.
WATCHING
Precedented
STROIKA
“The authoritarian playbook is nothing new. Democratic backsliding. Compromised courts. Political violence. Scapegoating minorities. Attacking journalists. Firing civil servants. STROIKA brings you the insights of visionary activists and journalists from around the globe – including Americans who have experienced the US’s own tumultuous history. Hear how they are living with integrity, working with creativity, and holding on to hope. Get practical guidance for life in times of authoritarianism. Browse this series of videos for stories of persistence, courage, and creative resistance. Watch to reignite your belief that change is not only possible, it’s already happening.”
We Hold More Political Power Than We Realize – Pillars of Support Explained
Choose Democracy
“We can feel helpless when we look out at how powerful our political leaders seem. But politicians aren’t all powerful. The Pillars of Support is a tool that can help us organize smart movements and break down the structures of authoritarian regimes.” For more information on the Pillars of Support, you can find Horizons’ resources and case studies here.
From Loneliness to Social Connection: Charting a Path to Healthier Societies
Launch: WHO Commission on Social Connection
You can re-watch the virtual launch event from this new report from the World Health Organization that covers the impacts of social isolation and loneliness including a meta-analysis of all the studies, strategies and work being done globally to improve human connectivity. You can also find several short films of peoples lived experiences from around the world. The findings state that social health is just as essential as physical and mental health, and the report delves into the importance of human connectivity as an antidote to political polarization, flailing democracies, languishing rates of economic productivity and much more.
Opportunity Explained: Structural Racism, Life Pathways, and Systemic Change
The Othering & Belonging Institute (OBI)
OBI recently shared this new visual explainer video that “breaks down how opportunity is structured in the United States, its relationship to race and class, and how to level the playing field so everyone has a fair shot at success. The video, which is a companion to the new book on Structural Racism recently published by OBI Research Director Stephen Menendian, shows how the pathways we encounter in life aren’t only shaped by personal choices, but also by structural forces. Stephen, who narrates the video, explains what he means by opportunity, why it’s so unevenly distributed, and illustrates an easy-to-grasp example of how policies can be changed to close opportunity disparities, rather than exacerbate them.” You can also read this article and Q&A with Stephen published on Berkeley News.
LISTENING TO
How to Heal, Citizen, and Thrive in a Machine World
Shaping Freedom with Lisane Basquiat podcast
“In this episode, Baratunde Thurston shares his deeply personal journey of healing from generational trauma while exploring what it means to be an active citizen in today’s world. Known for his work at the intersection of justice, joy, and possibility, Baratunde offers a powerful framework for understanding citizenship as a verb—an ongoing practice rooted in both self-awareness and collective responsibility. Throughout the conversation, themes of community building, freedom, and self-determination are woven together. He challenges the notion of freedom as a solo pursuit, emphasizing that true freedom exists in relation to others. His vision progresses through courage, justice, and freedom, ultimately leading to peace—a message that encourages listeners to embrace their role in creating a more connected and intentional world.”
We’re Taking Patriotism Back with Heather Cox Richardson
We Can Do Hard Things podcast
“Historian, writer, and truth-teller Heather Cox Richardson joins [the podcast] to expose how patriotism has been hijacked by those undermining democracy, equality, and truth—and to show us how to reclaim it as a force for justice, unity, and hope.
Debunking the myth of rugged individualism—and revealing why community has always been our greatest strength; how the far-Right hijacked patriotism, demonized equality, and rebranded justice as socialism… Find Heather Cox Richardson’s Substack at https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com.”
Only Bad People have Bad Politics. Right?
The Context podcast
“Americans are constantly arguing about politics—on the internet and at the family dinner table. But we rarely change one another’s minds, and we often emerge from those disagreements feeling frustrated and distrustful. Host Alex Lovit is joined by research psychologist Keith Payne to discuss the science behind the political divide and how the psychology of political disagreements can help us have more productive political conversations. Keith Payne is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina. He is the author of The Broken Ladder: How Inequality Affects the Way We Think, Live, and Die and Good Reasonable People: The Psychology Behind America’s Dangerous Divide.”
The Healing Power of Imagination: Transform Yourself and the World
Tara Brach podcast
“What if a key to personal and collective transformation lies in reclaiming our deep capacities for presence and imagination? In this two-part series, Tara Barach explores how mindfulness awakens us from the trance of fear and separation, reconnecting us with our innate clarity and compassion… Tara explores: (1) How we can reimagine our identity, releasing limiting beliefs and touching into our true belonging; (2) How shifting our perceptions through imagination can free us from habitual fear and separation; (3) The power of storytelling to awaken compassion and soften rigid patterns of reactivity; (4) How imagination helps us reconnect with our inner wholeness and sense of possibility; (5) The practice of mindful presence as a gateway to creative and loving awareness.”
FOR FUN
34 Summer Books, Movies, and Podcasts to Mend America’s Divisions
The Commons, The Chronicle of Philanthropy
“Those working to bring America together — advocates, foundation chiefs, experts, and a U.S. senator — recommend fiction, nonfiction, podcasts, plays, movies, and even an Owen Wilson TV show.”