This month, many around the country are preparing for the next No Kings rallies taking place on March 28. This is a helpful article by Micah Sifry on getting ready: “the vast and growing pro-democracy movement in America has two key tasks to focus on as that day approaches and arrives: task one: inviting new people to join in; task two: welcoming and absorbing the newcomers.” We are especially inspired to highlight the resources you can find from Singing Resistance, including tips for song-leading from within the crowds and these recommended songs and chant sheet.
As we make sense of the war in Iran, Interfaith Alliance published a helpful discussion with Reza Aslan on the history of the country and the complex role of religious identity; and Ruth Ben Ghiat hosted Anne Applebaum to reflect on wars and autocratic decision-making. The Brookings Institution put out several helpful resources to combat rising Islamophobia. They noted that “at the opening of the Islamic Center of Washington, D.C., in 1957, President Eisenhower said: ‘I should like to assure you, my Islamic friends, that under the American Constitution, under American tradition, and in American hearts, this Center, this place of worship, is just as welcome as could be a similar edifice of any other religion…. This concept is indeed a part of America, and without that concept we would be something else than what we are.’”
In the wake of the César Chávez revelations this month, we recommend reading Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson’s Love Letter to Survivors asking that we all commit to solidarity with survivors of sexual violence. She followed up with another article addressing the fact that “Grace and Accountability Are Not Opposites. We are holding multiple truths. It is what moral seriousness demands. What are we supposed to do differently so moments like these never happen again?”
As we all continue to gear up for the elections this year, there are many really useful resources organizations are putting out: Democracy Works is sharing their TurboVote app with all the information anyone needs to vote in any state; the National Civic League has released a new Healthy Democracy Ecosystem Map that visualizes organizations, funders, and networks working to improve democracy across the US; Democracy Forward recently released their robust Democracy 2025 Resource Center; Protect Democracy has published a helpful Nonprofit Toolkit: Resources for organizations facing government investigations; and, the Human Rights Foundation has launched a Tyranny Tracker that classifies countries and territories as democratic, hybrid authoritarian, or fully authoritarian. Finally, the 2026 V-Dem Institute Democracy Report – the world’s leading democracy barometer – came out this month, and the US has lost its long-term status as a liberal democracy for the first time in over 50 years. As shared in this article by the Transnational Institute, the US is not alone in our democratic decline as they explain the global rise of “reactionary authoritarianism” around the world.
From the Horizons team, you don’t want to miss the most recent article by Chief Organizer Maria Stephan and Senior Researcher Adam Fefer on Why loyalty shifts are key to defeating autocrats. And a huge congratulations to Maria for the recognition she received from Sojourners as one of the top 10 Christian Women Shaping the Church in 2026.
Enjoy these other resources that we are reading, watching, and listening to this month.
📚 READING
What Bridge-building Owes Democracy
Outrage Overload
“The central problem is perhaps no longer that we disagree too intensely, but that some actors are undermining the conditions for fair disagreement entirely. If the civic arena collapses – rigged elections, normalized political violence, total information warfare – then bridge-building becomes performative at best. At worst, it becomes cover…I worry that our field has been so committed to neutrality that we failed to notice when neutrality became a side. Bridge-building was built for a world where the problem was misunderstanding. But we’re now in a world where the problem may be a contest over whether the democratic game continues at all. So, if not neutrality, then what? One helpful frame comes from activist theory, which identifies four lanes: Helpers, Advocates, Organizers, and Rebels. Bridge-building actually already occupies all four, just implicitly: Helpers do relational depolarization—de-escalating conflict at the family or community level; Advocates work inside institutions, mediating between communities and bureaucracies; Organizers build coalitions and shared projects across divides; Rebels surface injustice and distortions that make genuine bridging impossible. Under authoritarian conditions, these lanes become clearer and more necessary.”
The Ideological Traffic Jam + the River That Can Break It: Strategic Direction for Pro-Democracy Leaders
by Scot Nakagawa, 22nd Century Initiative (22CI)
“Authoritarians offer clarity through elimination rather than integration. They don’t say ‘here’s how we navigate complexity together.’ They say ‘the problem is them, the immigrants, coastal elites, trans people, racial minorities, feminists, experts. Remove them and everything becomes simple again.’ This is psychologically seductive in a moment of overwhelming complexity. When you’re juggling incompatible frameworks, drowning in information you can’t verify, anxious about an uncertain future, and economically insecure, the authoritarian offer of simplicity and certainty feels like relief…[But if we] think of pro-democracy ideological communities as springs, each with its own source, its own clarity, its own generative power. Instead of trying to eliminate ideological differences, we should recognize that each spring must see it as a duty to feed into a single river of mobilization – one big and diverse enough to defeat authoritarianism.” 22CI has also produced a discussion guide to go along with this resource that you can find here.
The Mesh Work of Relational Infrastructure
by Sam Rye
“What makes up relational infrastructure when we zoom in? What are the qualities and attributes that might help us explain how we build it, nurture it and best invest in it – and indeed, what we can expect in return? In this meshwork view, the first diagonal represents the qualities or capabilities that the meshwork requires and produces: Trust; Grounded hope (not naive optimism); Imagination; Humour; Mutuality. The second diagonal is made of processes which activate and animate the qualities and capabilities: Stories; Experiences; Co-creation; Aligning; Narrative building… By investing in this meshwork of relational infrastructure, we are putting a downpayment on the ‘transaction costs’ of collaboration, allowing us to move faster when it matters most, and creating an enduring infrastructure which can hold and support a range of outcomes.”
📺 WATCHING
The Librarians
Independent Lens on PBS
“When lawmakers seek to review a list of books, librarians find themselves on the frontlines of a national battle. Across the US, librarians face the impact of uniting against library collection standards that include restrictions on race-related and LGBTQIA+ content. Drawing on historical context, The Librarians explores the broader implications for education and public life.”
Inside the Manosphere
Documentary Film by Louis Theroux
“British American documentarian Louis Theroux interviews some of the leading social media influencers and podcasters who profit from and spread controversial ideas from the most extreme fringes of the manosphere. ‘Those in the manosphere embody a swaggering machismo,’ says Theroux, ‘that is at turns misogynistic, homophobic, antisemitic, and racist… Increasingly, these aren’t figures on the margins — anyone who’s got kids, and especially boys, will know that they are making inroads into the culture. Their influence is being felt in schools, in the workplace, and all across the internet.’ You can also watch an interview with Theroux discussing this documentary on the Chris Williamson podcast here.
The Dads
Documentary Film by Luchina Fisher
“The trans community is quite literally small and growing smaller all the time with the rise of Draconian laws powered by religious demagoguery, ignorance, and fear. Because of this, preserving what community you can becomes vital to everyday life and longevity. In 2023, filmmaker Luchina Fisher released the short film The Dads, an 11-minute film highlighting a small gathering of dads of trans and non-binary youth who strive to be the support system that general society fails to offer. Now, having its world premiere in the Spotlight section of SXSW 2026, the feature-length version, also titled The Dads, not only shines a light on these present parents, but also on the battles they’ve been waging in order to give their kids a fighting chance to see tomorrow.”
🎧 LISTENING TO
The Science of Unlearning and Why Organizers Need It
Movement Memos, a Truthout Podcast
“Why do some people change, while others double down? In this episode of Movement Memos, Kelly Hayes talks with journalist and author Lewis Raven Wallace about the deeper mechanics of political transformation. Drawing on neuroscience, trauma research, and stories of people who have broken with deeply held ideologies, Wallace argues that real change rarely happens through debate or persuasion. Instead, transformation grows out of relationships, shared struggle, cognitive dissonance, and practice. Together, Kelly and Lewis explore what organizers can learn from the science of neuroplasticity, the role of rupture and confrontation, and why movements need to focus less on “changing minds” and more on creating conditions where people can unlearn harmful beliefs and step into collective action.”
Give a Little Whistle
This American Life Podcast
In the prologue of this episode, “two lawyers dive into the details of what they’ve witnessed behind the scenes in different parts of the immigration system. Then in Act One, former ICE attorney Ryan Schwank explains the chaos and dysfunction he observed at an ICE training academy, which led him to whistleblow to Congress two weeks ago. In Act Two, a federal judge orders the government to immediately release a bunch of people from detention. Days pass, and the government doesn’t comply. So, the judge calls a hearing to figure out what’s going on. The lawyer’s response is not what he or anybody expected.”
The Hunger for Action
Charting the Way Forward Podcast
“Terrance Woodbury from HIT Strategies presents Black Opps, their deep research project on understanding why Black voters have been super motivated but less willing to publicly protest the Trump administration. He joins host Kerry Eleveld, President Tory Gavito and Chief Strategist Jenifer Fernandez Ancona to unpack and discuss what they found.”
Hannah Arendt and Authoritarianism with Roger Berkowitz
The Great Battlefield Podcast
“Roger Berkowitz joins The Great Battlefield podcast to talk about his career as Professor of Politics, Philosophy and Human Rights at Bard College, founding the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities and writing about the crisis of democracy and free speech.” Berkowitz writes the weekly Amor Mundi newsletter and is the host of the podcast, Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz.
💡 FOR INSPIRATION
You Matter More Than You Think: Quantum Social Change for a Thriving World
by Karen O’Brien
Enjoy the recently released free versions on pdf or audio book of You Matter More Than You Think, with beautiful artwork by Tone Bjordam that accompanies each chapter: “Now is the time to challenge the mindset of individualism, reductionism, determinism, and materialism that lures us into believing there is nothing we can do about climate change, biodiversity loss, global inequality, and violent conflict. What we do right now matters. An equitable and thriving world is possible if we shift our perspective and make a quantum leap.”