March has felt like an exceptionally long month, but as we collectively make sense of what is happening in the United States right now, we believe it’s important to listen to respected academics who can help provide clarity. For example, take a listen to this recent interview with Anne Applebaum on the “Axis of Autocracy” or watch Ruth Ben-Ghiat answer questions about dictators for Wired magazine. Christina Pagel has also been providing helpful diagrams to understand how all the many actions of the current administration are following the authoritarian playbook, including a specific mapping of the attacks on science and universities. Merrill Sovner recently reshared her research on how informal rules can be used to constrict civil society, with examples of Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic. Many are tracking rising attacks on civil society, including the growing threat to tax-exempt status; and also making the argument that philanthropy should be increasing its giving now to support communities and those on the front lines of the fight against these threats to democracy. You may also appreciate this recent interview on Putting Philanthropy in Right Relation with Organizing.
What is clear is that “resistance is alive and well” as noted in this article summarizing recent research tracking both protests and other forms of creative resistance such as economic boycotts. There are also efforts underway to collect national stories and data to track the impacts of cuts to the federal government. You can find a map of existing mutual aid hubs here, and the Department of Nonprofit Efficiency – D.O.N.E. – has set up a rapid response network “for nonprofits and foundations who may be reworking their programs and communications to ensure they avoid being targeted for DEI-related funding reductions and more.” On the other hand, Brad Rourke from the Kettering Foundation decided to accept the challenge and wrote this article using every single one of the so-called problematic terms identified by the administration.
From the Horizons’ team, you can watch Maria Stephan’s recent presentation to the Franciscan Action Network on Using Our Power – Nonviolence & Non-Cooperation in History & Today; check out Julia Roig’s podcast interview for the Fulcrum’s new series on the Path Forward for the pro-democracy movement; and, watch Jarvis Williams’ video interview with our friend Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart about their recent experience traveling to Brazil for an exchange on combatting religious extremism.
What is most important is to stay informed and involved! Find out more about how to join in with the upcoming National Day of Action on April 5th here; The Interfaith Alliance is hosting a webinar on April 2nd in preparation for April 5th that Maria and a great lineup of faith leaders are speaking on; and if you haven’t already registered, we hope to see you in June for the 22nd Century Initiative Conference.
Here are some additional resources we’re reading, watching, and listening to:
READING
Fascism and Isolation vs. Democracy and Interconnection: The Narrative Antidote to Authoritarianism
by Mónica Roa, Puentes
“At a time when narratives of isolation are being used to instill fear—justifying power concentration and the erosion of rights—we need stories that restore our awareness that, far from being a burden, our connection to others is the key to greater well-being and a stronger democracy. The narrative of interconnection reminds us that well-being is relational, that progress stems from cooperation, and that mutual care is a survival strategy, not just a moral concession.” Mónica Roa presents a compelling argument for rebuilding our vision of interconnectedness. “When we stop sharing experiences with those who are different from us, we lose the ability to imagine a common future. In this void, authoritarianism thrives, offering rigid identities and clear enemies to fill the space once occupied by interconnection and solidarity.”
Getting Small to Go Big: Lessons in Interdependence
by Jennifer Brandel, We Are Hearken
“What if we focused less on our own survival and perpetuation and more on how we can work in a networked, distributed manner and support the ecosystem?” Hearken shares insights from their team’s new approach to nourishing the network by sharing resources, funds, time, and knowledge. “As newsrooms continue to face headwinds and lack of resources, and as the civic space is intentionally closed by the current administration, perhaps approaching your work more like an interstitium (an organ that connects all organs) as we did could lead to a healthier, more resilient future.”
Why the Events at Columbia University Will Have Profound Chilling Effects
by Nathan J. Brown and Zaha Hassan, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
“The administration [has] notified sixty colleges and universities that they are at further risk of ‘enforcement actions’ for failure to protect Jewish students. A lot of money is at stake, which will impact both academic freedom and free speech on campuses. There is another issue that we address in [the book] Suppressing Dissent, that deserves mention. Since the 1960s, college campuses are where movements begin—whether it’s civil rights, anti-apartheid in South Africa, anti-war, or #MeToo. Today, the chilling of campus speech and activism is about Palestine and Israel. Protest has been critical for policy change. Our democracy has been better for the protections we have guaranteeing it. It will suffer without them.”
WATCHING
From Selma to Montgomery: How Civil Rights Leaders Made Political Violence Backfire
Harnessing Our Power to End Political Violence (HOPE)
You don’t want to miss the recent video released by the HOPE coalition. “Selma, Alabama is cemented in American history as a place that sparked great change in 1965. But understanding how requires us to look back at the events of 1963. Follow as Sherri Bevel, co-founder of the Addie Wyatt Center for Nonviolence Training, and Rev. Stephen Green, pastor and founder of Faith for Black Lives, explore how leaders of the Civil Rights Movement made violence backfire.” If you’re interested in finding out more, or hosting a training session, you can sign up here.
A Matter of Survival: Meeting Unmet Needs and Building Power in Times of Crisis
The Kairos Center for Religions, Rights & Social Justice
You can re-watch Kairos’s recent webinar launching the new report “A Matter of Survival: Meeting Unmet Needs and Building Power In Times of Crisis”. The speakers shared insights about the authoritarian movement on the rise, shared how communities are responding to these conditions, including how meeting basic needs is forming the basis for long-term political organizing. They also discussed the relevance and power of cultural organizing today, and why it holds a different kind of potential in this moment.
“A Time for Choosing” — Danielle Allen on What Comes After DOGE
Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard University
Professor Danielle Allen reflects on the dangers of extreme corporate libertarianism and offers a counter narrative of plurality. In extreme corporate libertarianism, “the talented comprise a natural aristocracy whose achievements and clear superiority deserve to amass unchecked power and wealth without regard for the common good, equality, or national borders. Efficiency is king. They seek to replace the modern nation state system with corporate states and care little about constitutional democracy or social cohesion. A powerful antidote can be found in plurality, or digital democracy, which “recognizes that people and their flourishing should be the center from which technology is developed, and public policies are made. Pluralism recognizes that there are multiple intelligences, not a single one, and that encouraging these differences and facilitating social cohesion leads to better economic and political outcomes.”
Gen Z vs. the Gerontocracy: Reclaiming America’s Future
SXSW 2025 Panel, Made By Us
Alex Edgar (Made By Us), Andrew Roth (dcdx), Dillon St. Bernard (Amplify Pledge), and Tiana Day (Youth Advocates for Change) discussed recently at SXSW why now is the ultimate moment for generational transformation in the United States and how the knowledge and innovations of younger generations can be taken seriously in the wave of changemaking. (And hopefully you’ve found a way to plug into the many events and campaigns during Civic Season, the week between Juneteenth and the Fourth of July that Made By Us helps spearhead).
LISTENING TO
Can Dialogue Truly Shift Power?
The Power Shift Podcast by The New Humanitarian
“‘People need to be listened to, and when they come in with their own stories, that is a form of power,’ argues Lina Srivastava, Power Shift’s moderator and founder of The Center for Transformational Change. In this first episode of Power Shift, host Melissa Fundira, Adeso executive director Degan Ali, and Srivastava set the stage for conversations to come by highlighting how power inequalities prevent us from addressing humanitarian crises adequately and fairly, and by discussing whether dialogue can ever truly shift power.”
It’s Really Good and Really Bad
The Focus Group Podcast
If you’re not listening to the Bulwark’s Focus Group podcast regularly, we highly recommend listening directly to the voices of Americans around the country. In this episode, Mark Leibovich and Sarah Longwell discuss how first-time Trump voters are making sense of Trump’s first 100 days in office. “‘Some love what they’re getting and think Democrats are out over their skis. Others are wondering when Trump will get around to fixing the economy.” But for many, Trump’s behavior as a president is no longer seen as abnormal even as his administration makes dramatic changes.”
Reimagining the Cultural Narrative: Art and Storytelling for Systemic Change
The Great Simplification Podcast
“In today’s modern era, the overwhelming flood of information that constantly flows our way can leave us feeling disoriented, lost, and powerless. Even science – our most trusted source of truth – can be taken out of context to fuel division and distort the reality around us. In the midst of this confusion, how can we learn to ground ourselves and find guideposts that can direct our lives and work?” In this episode, storyteller and social thinker, Dougald Hine, explores the importance of narratives in shaping our understanding of the world and how they can help us navigate the complexities of life.
FOR FUN
On Singing to the Beloved in Times of Crisis
The Emerald Podcast
The Emerald podcast explores the human experience through a vibrant lens of myth, story, and imagination. You’ll enjoy this episode with Dr. Omid Safi. “In times when we are raw and situations are precarious, many poets tell us, the breath of life is closer than ever. Singing to the beloved in this way isn’t about blissing out and bypassing, it’s about finding a practice that honors the depth and emotional texture of our experience of a paradoxical world and that matches the intensity of the times we’re living in.”