Local Activist Voices

June 2025

We are a small cog in the movement's machine

One thing I LOVE about ED4D is the engagement (seems silly to say given our name!!). When people ask me if I am Engaged Durhamites for Democracy, I say, “We” are Engaged Durhamites for Democracy. Yes, I am writing these posts. I am just one person. We are ED4D because we all show up. Many people send me amazing things that help shape the vision of our plans. Please continue this engagement to help me learn about national movements of which we can take part. I get a lot of emails from these organizations, but I don’t get them all. I also benefit greatly from all your emails. Please let me know about other organizations, especially those that are helping us attack other pillars (we talked about boycotts to attack the pillar of business, but there are many other pillars that we can go after, such as media, universities, law firms, etc.)… Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/30/25

Democracy Out Loud #439.1: The Budget

The bill is being read now in the Senate and debates are next. Senator Tillis voted against bringing the bill to the floor and has said he will vote against it. We have to thank him and hold him to that, and keep calling Senators, especially Senators Budd, Collins, and Murkowski.

This bill will direct Congress to carry out Trump’s full deadly and dystopian agenda. Its effects on all of our lives cannot be overstated. See this gift article from the New York Times (thanks, Lisa), “How awful is the Republican megabit? Here are four of its worst parts.” And see Mark’s script for the die-in we did last week on the street. For the sake of a massive, unthinkable transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich, an additional 11.8 MILLION people will lose their healthcare and this bill will add 4 TRILLION Dollars to the national debt. This bill directs Congress to spend 80 billion dollars for mass deportation. We’ve seen what that looks like.

Tomorrow Monday June 30, several organizations including Down Home and NC Justice Center are once again convening at multiple Senate offices simultaneously. A lot of us are going to join the one in Raleigh at 11 am and bring Calile’s powerful tombstones for a funeral procession… Read more

Democracy Out Loud - 6/29/25

Our money is our power: Need help determining next boycott

I almost cannot believe I am writing this. Even though the Senate got through the first step in passing the big bad bill with a vote for 51-49, Senator Tillis voted no because of the cuts to Medicaid!! I cannot attribute this to things other than our calls. We have been relentless. Thank you all so much for being diligent with calling!

Hats off to Down Home NC who has worked tirelessly to have people from ALL OVER NC call him asking him not to cut Medicaid. Kate, Sohnie, and Nell, you have had a GREAT impact!! Tillis heard from people he has NEVER heard from before. I also give some credit to our noble Bruce who walked all of the way from Durham to DC and met with Tillis’ Chief of Staff and brought him all of our letters.

All of these efforts gave Tillis the courage to vote against the tyrant. Almost all of the other Senators who originally were a “no” vote caved. Tillis did not cave!! Of course, TACO is furious as he does not like people defying him. His first move was to threaten Tillis. I AM CALLING TODAY TO THANK TILLIS FOR HIS VOTE AND HOPE ALL OF YOU WILL PLEASE CALL!!! We the People have power!! He is trying to do his job by representing us and not just having us have one branch of government... Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/29/25

We must protect our judges so they can protect us

It is natural to feel defeated and despondent after a ruling like this. Trust me, even somebody like me, who is eternally hopeful and optimistic, had to catch my breath when I read that headline. I just could not believe it.

After having a small moment of panic, it just reminded me that we must keep pushing. Remember, they want us to give up. They want us to feal defeated. We must keep together motivating each other.

Today, I have choir practice again (man, it is so good for my soul to be together with 207 other people conducted by exquisite conductors and not think about this garbage for 4 hours straight)!. I will wear my “Do not obey in advance” shirt as I am not lying down and letting this dictator destroy our democracy! Not on my watch!! Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/28/25

Show your face! We must stop these masked ICE officers

Please keep calling about the big bad bill. They need to keep hearing from us that we are not ok with increases in funding for ICE while cutting Medicaid. And while you have the staffer on the phone, please mention that ICE officers should not be allowed to wear masks and must identify themselves and read people their rights. Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/27/25

The right to vote is precious

Today, I want to talk about voting rights. I attended a call last night about the “Good Trouble” events planned for July 17th, the anniversary of John Lewis’ death. For those of you who are less familiar, John Lewis was a huge advocate for voting rights. It was uplifting as speaker after speaker talked about the great John Lewis. He was one of the leaders of the march from Selma to Montgomery in March 1965 that took four attempts to finish the march. Police officers beat the nonviolent activists when they crossed the Pettus Bridge. John Lewis was one of those getting beat. After being beat, he returned to the march again knowing he might get beat again. His courage and the courage of others took the nation by surprise. They saw innocent, nonviolent people getting beat, and it really shifted the minds of many. This is why nonviolence, even in the face of violence, and perhaps even more in the face of violence, works. Soon, the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965 prohibiting discrimination in voting… Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/26/25

Calls to make, actions to take, dates to save and..

In case of loss of cabin pressure, put the oxygen mask over your own mouth first. Then help others.

If you are overwhelmed, you can take a break.

The times right now are overwhelming; there is simply too much coming at us every day. I send these action emails out about twice a week. Sometimes you may appreciate reminders about daily action or validation that we are all in this together.. At other times these letters may feel like one more assault, yet another unwelcome reminder of the impossible challenge of living through the present moment.

As I’ve written elsewhere, “most of us go through our daily lives on the home front rather than the battlefield. We go to the grocery store, put children to bed, work, walk the dog. Bills get paid; the washing machine breaks or a friend needs help. There are birthdays and anniversaries and families and friends to love and care for. A whole life must occur during the ongoing threat, while our nervous systems are activated to danger by each shattering of norms or laws, by the blast forces detonating our democracy and sense of safety. The emotional whiplash and cognitive dissonance of these times is formidable…. Read more

Durham Democrats Action - 6/25/25

Democracy Out Loud #439: Hope

The increasingly desperate and fearful people in power will continue to escalate their madness. Meanwhile, we keep fighting for voting rights, for immigrants, for the earth, for democracy, for the struggling poor and working class, for diversity, equity, and inclusion, for our own freedom, and for each other. I believe that we will win. Read more

Democracy Out Loud - 6/25/25

We cannot do this alone; We need more partners

I want to talk about ways to grow this movement by partnering with other like-minded organizations. To this point, we have partnered with other grassroots organizations and the Dems. However, we have not partnered other important allies, including churches, unions, and other community organizations. Many are mortified at the many assaults that are happening to almost all people in this country. We need to build on already existing strengths of groups and organizations and ask them to serve as partners in this fight for our freedom and against the oligarchs.

I am asking anyone who has contacts with organizations, unions, or churches to either reach out to those people directly to tell them about our grassroots organization and how we can partner with them. We would like them to encourage their members to sign up for the Substack and join us/co-sponsor events. I think the more partners we have, the stronger we are as long as we agree on our common mission… Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/25/25

We must be disciplined to stay non-violent

During the civil rights movement, protesters underwent significant training of what to do in the face of violence. I’ve been reading about Gandhi’s movement as India was fighting for independence from British rule. And I know I’ve posted about this in the past about that scene from the movie, Gandhi, where the nonviolent protesters kept approaching the British shoulders on the beach. As they approached, the British soldiers would beat them brutally. Then, instead of fleeing, the next group of non-violent protestors would approach the soldiers to face a similar beating. After a while, the British soldiers could not continue beating innocent nonviolent people. Nonviolence works. Violence does not. We must remain nonviolent in our movement… Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/24/25

We are in charge of telling the story of our movement

Today, I want to cover how we both handle ourselves at protests as well as how we spread the word of the success of our protests with a focus on the optics. We cannot count on mainstream media to help us, as they are bending the knee and kissing the ring of the bully they fear. They continually undercount who attends the protests and amplify anything that is negative. It is up to us We The People to tell the story and also to have discipline (foreshadowing for tomorrow’s post).

It just takes a few video clips of folks making bad choices for folks to think that all our protests are violent. And of course that’s what the headlines grab. Our brains are wired towards the negative, and that’s the way that news goes as well. They know that people click on headlines that are negative rather than positive… Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/23/25

Democracy Out Loud #438: This past week, a pivot in both directions

It’s a big deal when Marjorie Taylor Greene and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez agree on something, but they both agree that we need to stop Trump from dragging us into yet another endless war. Indivisible has made it easy to contact our Senators at this link about this.

You can also use 5calls.org, which can help with a whole lot of other things we need to be calling them about, notably the budget. This would be a very good week to call Senators every day.

Joyce Vance wrote, “This past week may be remembered as a genuine pivot, a moment when the increasing sprint of authoritarianism took a militaristic and violent turn.” At the same time, “Last weekend revealed a pathway forward with historic peaceful resistance emerging throughout the country.”… Read more

Democracy Out Loud - 6/22/25

No (Illegal) War

“Trump said he would end wars; now he has dragged America into one. His actions are a clear violation of our Constitution – ignoring the requirement that only the Congress has the authority to declare war. While we all agree that Iran must not have a nuclear weapon, Trump abandoned diplomatic efforts to achieve that goal and instead chose to unnecessarily endanger American lives, further threaten our armed forces in the region, and risk pulling America into another long conflict in the Middle East. The U.S. intelligence community has repeatedly assessed that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon. There was more time for diplomacy to work… Read more

Durhams Dems Action - 6/22/25

Truth is on our side: We must make lying wrong again

Today I want to talk about lying and conspiracy theories. We have truth on our side. Truth always wins. TACO lies constantly. He has lied about Iran when he knew full well we would bomb. My friend who has military connections knew this would happen when he told me that we were sending all of those planes overseas. Lies, lies, lies!

The loyalists cannot keep their lies straight and even Bonafide conspriracy theorists like Alex Jones are accusing them of gaslighting. Wow!

I want to talk about how we can grow our movement by fighting the lies that the GOP continues to try to feed Americans… Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/22/25

How to talk to your friends about the movement when you don't know where they stand

One thing she said she struggles with though is talking to friends about the movement. And she raised an excellent point which is it’s sometimes easier to talk to strangers about this movement than your friends.

So I want to focus this post on how to talk to your friends when you don’t know where they stand politically.

Many of us have been taught that there were two topics that are taboo in social situations: religion and politics. And here we are encouraging us all to talk about politics, so we are breaking social norms by doing that so how do we do it when we run the risk of hurting some of our relationships… Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/21/25

Inside/Outside Politics: Can't We All Just Get Along With People Who Share Most of Our Values?

Grassroots groups, Indivisible groups, unions, longtime activist groups and coalitions, and a growing number of people interested in resisting and fighting this authoritarian regime make up the “outside.” In Durham, we are fortunate to have so many rich and diverse examples of all of these. We march, we lobby, we show up at the NCGA and our City Council meetings. However, our diversity can also be problematic; our progressive venn diagram includes many shared values, but not all, and different ideas about how to get there. And some true differences. There are also egos to contend with, those who always think they know the only right way to do things, those who feel there is a “purity test” for the left, those who say “if she doesn’t do “x” she will lose my vote.”

We live in traumatic times. Responses to trauma can be to react without being thoughtful, or to fight, flee or freeze. (I write a separate Substack about this!) We are all on our last nerve; we shouldn’t be fighting with each other. More compassion, less judgement. Let’s get this done, together… Read more

Durham Dems ACtion - 6/20/25

Upping our resistance game: Go after a pillar

One phrase really stood out for me: The regime’s power relies on our cooperation. We will not cooperate.

They talked about the success of our movement relies on unity, planning, and discipline. There are so many grassroots groups that have popped up, which is awesome. We all need to work together. We also need to be strategic in what we do and plan. And by discipline they mean how to stay nonviolent even in the face of violence. I hope it does not come to that. We MUST remain nonviolent for this to work.

They talked about the pillars that support those in power. The regime cannot be successful unless they are supported by these pillars, including education, churches, judges and lawyers, media, and businesses… Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/20/25

Moving people one notch to grow our movement

Today I want to talk about talking to people from all walks of life as we need to grow this movement. For those of you new to this Substack, you will see that Engaged Durhamites for Democracy proposes talking to everyone we meet about this movement. We need to get outside of our bubbles and our comfort zones. And we also need to approach everyone with curiosity and not judgement. It can be hard as we see the carnage that this dictator is wreaking on our country and our world. We can feel anger, resentment, and other emotions, especially if we learn the person voted for TACO.

Joe Rogan is a powerful voice that many on the right admire. If he says he does not want people on his team that cheer on babies being separated from their mothers, that might help people think twice about being in this cult. His message follows one of the 5 R’s in growing a Resistance Movement we covered earlier (Reveal: Expose the injustice; Redeem: Show the human side of the cruelty; Reframe: reframe facts with the truth. Redirect: Use alternate ways to organize; Resist: Instead of cowering, we shine a light on their intimidation and have solidarity and safety by resisting together). This is Redeeming. Way to go Joe Rogan! Who knew that he would help our movement and be on our team!! Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/19/25

KISS: Keep It Simple Silly

Today, I want to talk about messaging. I am sure many have you heard the phrase KISS: Keep It Simple Silly (I prefer Silly to Stupid as I find the word “stupid” to be demeaning). This is great advice for us as we try to grow this movement. What we need are simple messages. At least 6 million people hit the streets on Saturday raising their concerns. We need to reach more and need them to act consistently. To do that, we need to keep our messages simple. Thank you, Janet for sending this post from Michael Cohen.

Many of our signs are too complex for folks to read, especially when they are driving by us or driving under us. For the many who are attending one or more of our 10 protests per week, please think about your signs and make our message positive and simple. We will get farther by finding common ground and making our signs what we want (positive) versus what we don’t want (negative). Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy -6/18/25

So much talent in this group: Please help us know your strengths!

Today, I want to talk about all the strengths we have in this group. One thing I love about our group that alluded to earlier is that we have so much talent and passion. There are many things I am not good at (e.g., technology, signs, the list goes on and on). I am so grateful to people like Jennifer who is an amazing graphic designer and designed ED4D’s logo and the gorgeous logo for our Triangle Bridge to Freedom event. I also am grateful for Beth who brings so many signs to our protests and puts them up and has them for those who did not bring one. I am grateful for Laura who does a lot of behind the scenes work to keep people informed and also is doing some heavy lifting for our Triangle Bridges to Freedom event. I am grateful to Gene who kept the Tesla protests alive through logistical support.

We are trying to get 11M people to act consistently. The best way to do this is to choose tasks that we feel we can do well. We should also consider stretching ourselves out of our comfort zone. And there will be things that are too much of a stretch and things that are squarely in our sweet spot… Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/17/25

Many small acts = One big beautiful movement

Every act of resistance helps this movement.

You may think that attending weekly protests does not matter. But when you go, you may be standing next to somebody who’s coming to their first protest. And you’re helping create positive energy, which makes them want to come back. Then, they go tell their friends about how great it was, and then their friends come. What is important about our 10 weekly protests is that we are there week after week, sometimes in the rain, often in the cold and now in the heat. We are not backing down. We are not getting overwhelmed. We are not going away. So, does it matter if you come? Yes it does.

You may wonder if it makes a difference if you phone bank to talk to somebody who has never called their elected official before encouraging them to call? After talking to you and making that call, they realize the power that they have always had. Your one call to them might encourage them to call their elected officials again, building their civic muscle. Then, when elections come around, they view themselves as someone who is engaged, and they are more likely to vote. This small act you are doing can promote more to act and help us amass our power as We the People… Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/16/25

Durham Shows Up

It was a great day for Durham on Saturday. 5000 intrepid souls showed up to celebrate our flag and our CONSTITUTION…to say “with liberty and justice FOR ALL.” Durham’s event was organized by a group of 6 volunteers. Let’s give a big thank you to Julia, Louise, Christine, Elizabeth, Monica and Kat, six fierce women who get sh-t done. Think about that the next time you wonder, “But one can one person do?” We think of it as a cliché, but Margaret Mead was on to something when she wrote, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Thanks to all the marshals, clean up crew, sound people, volunteer bakers, Durham Police who closed the streets for us just because they saw it was needed and to the band who played, the people who danced, everyone who pitched in just because. Thanks to FOOLERY for our own Durham logo. And to Justice Anita Earls, Durham Dems Chair Emerson Kirby and Larry Hall, Former Secretary of NC Department of Military and Veterans Affairs for taking the time and effort to inspire us all. Thank you to the groups who tabled showing us the way forward to make change. Apologies if someone was left off this list…

SENDING GRATITUDE TO EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO SHOWED UP. Read more

Durham Dems Action - 6/16/25

6/15 Meeting Summary & Events

It was so great to hear from everyone. This group has accomplished so much, and has a lot to be proud of. We have lots to be concerned about, but we are taking action in concrete ways.

After each person shared, we placed pebbles in a vase of water. As more and more of us spoke about ways we’d take action, the water level rose. While each individual pebble didn’t change the level of the water much, together, we saw a difference. Read more

Bull City Indivisible - 6/15/25

11M of We the People said No Kings!!!

For those of you new to this Substack, the main mission of Engaged Durhamites for Democracy is to grow this movement. We lead with kindness and positivity with the main goal of reaching out to others and participating in peaceful acts of resistance to save our democracy. We will focus on elections in the future. Right now, we are trying to ensure we have elections as we need to oust this regime that is curtailing our freedoms. We the People have power! We need more people to join us to get 3.5% of the population acting consistently! I love how many joined yesterday as we are now close to 1000!! For those new, please share this on your social media as we need more joining! We welcome you!!

These posts are meant to help filter the many things that are happening to allow you to reduce how many things you read and focus on the pertinent things we need to be fighting and not be distracted by the many shiny objects or to feel overwhelmed as that makes us feel helpless and demotivates us to act... Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/15/25

We are the Patriots! This is our flag!!

Let’s do this Activism Warriors! We stand in unity with more than 2,100 other protests world-wide. This is our Flag Day. We reclaim the flag. This is our country! We will not bow down! We the People have the power!! Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/14/25

The protests keep coming, and you cannot stop us

Betty, Clark, and I met a lovely man, named Daniel, who had a shirt that said, “Don’t be mean to people.” Betty and I both are getting that shirt! Daniel talked about how his 19-year-old self would not be attending a march, but then everything changed when TACO came to power. He talked about how his Christian values don’t match what’s happening in this country, and when you read the Old Testament, it’s all about helping those who have less than you and helping those on the margins. It was lovely to meet him and welcome him to the movement. He is coming on Saturday. Yes Daniel! Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/13/25

Democracy Out Loud #437: Force vs power

The budget that the US House passed would create an increasingly dystopian future, and it is important to keep calling your Senators as they craft their version. The proposed tax cuts for the wealthy require cuts to lifesaving programs including Medicaid and SNAP, and the proposed increases for ICE and the military will escalate the concentration camps and repression already happening.

We are helping to plan a protest at the Federal Building (310 New Bern Avenue) in Raleigh, where Senator Tillis has offices, on Wednesday, June 18, from 11 am to 12:30 pm. This is also a budget protest. Bring signs if you can about cuts to Medicaid and food stamps to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy and increased ICE and military spending.... Read more

Democracy Out Loud - 6/13/25

Call Our Senators Today

By now many of you have seen the video of Senator Alex Padilla being forced to the ground and handcuffed. GOP has stayed silent. Our Senators need to hear from us. They are silent in the face of this. We must not be silent. Let’s flood their lines.

Suggested Script:

Senator Padilla was forcibly removed, thrown to the ground and handcuffed for simply speaking up at a press conference by the DHS Secretary. I want my Senator to condemn this in the strongest possible language. This is unacceptable for a US Senator, or any person, in the United States of America where we have a First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

What will the Senator do?

Thom Tillis: D.C. (202) 224-6342 Raleigh (919) 856-4630 Charlotte (704) 509-9087

Ted Budd: D.C. 202-224-3154 Raleigh 984-349-5061 Wilmington 910-218-7600 Read more

Durham Dems Action - 6/13/25

We will stand up for immigrants

These ICE efforts are having a chilling effect on our vulnerable populations. It is reprehensible to round up innocent people from places they gather as day-laborers and going to construction sites all to fill Stephen Miller’s cruel and unattainable quota. These folks are not criminals! Those who are rounding them up should be ashamed of themselves.

This is making people terrified. I receive the alerts from Siembra when there is a suspicious vehicle sighting. I have now received texts the past two days. Both were false alarms. People are on edge. I am sad they are scared.

And let’s be clear, what the regime and ICE are doing is illegal. There is no reason to send Marines to LA or anywhere. And when Pete Hegseth was questioned about the legality of it, he could not explain how it was legal. Do you know why? It’s because it is illegal! Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/12/25

Self-judgment hurts our movement

Yet, no matter how much we are doing, we might not feel we are doing enough. This self-judgement can be detrimental to our mental health and motivation. His flooding the zone can make us feel like we need to act and respond to all things. This is not possible. They also know that when we feel like we are not doing enough, that hurts our movement.

So, today, I am asking you to not judge yourself. We all have different circumstances that allow us to do what we can do. Some have small children. Some are worried about their jobs. Some have aging parents. Some have lost their jobs and are looking for work. Some are vulnerable and afraid to act. Even if you have a conversation with someone about what is happening in our country and mentioning the march on Saturday, this is HUGE.

Please instead of focusing on what you are not doing, please focus on what you are doing given your resources. A great example of someone who is amazing is Laura who cannot attend many events but has put together an amazing website durhamresistance.org and also is helping track Bruce’s journey, and also is helping tremendously with signs for our protests as she cannot regularly attend. It can be easy to feel like you are not doing enough. Please know we are not judging you, and I ask that you do not judge yourself… Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/11/25

Smells like authoritarian spirit but... "Squirrel!"

How are we doing? It’s easy to feel helpless and alone right now. Project 2025 is being implemented daily. And now, the game’s afoot; it appears that the militarization of one American city has begun. The troops are there, waiting for violence which has not yet come. We must all wait and see what happens.

Do you remember the very distractable dog in the movie “Up?” That’s us, right now, responding to this purposeful distraction.

What can we do?

Stay focused on what we CAN do.

1. call our members of Congress (day of action TOMORROW on cuts to healthcare)

2. show up in the streets (Saturday!)

3. defend and build our community.

We have all seen the images of the National Guard in the streets of LA, read screaming headlines about the Marines coming. This is terrifying AND it is a purposeful distraction from the attempt to pass a bill that takes away healthcare and food from many of our citizens… Read more

Durham Dems Action - 6/10/25

Do not judge, lest thee be judged

Judgment gets in the way of our growing this movement. When we are judging, it can erode our empathy. When I first found out that TACO won the election, I was incredibly judgmental anybody who voted for him. But when you think about what judgment does, you might learn that it might reveal some of your own insecurities rather than judgement of others... Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/10/25

Democracy Out Loud #436.1: Rapid Response

We must meet militarized police escalation with massive peaceful protest.

Over the weekend, things escalated rapidly, notably in Los Angeles where beloved labor leader David Huerta was brutalized and arrested for no apparent reason, Trump deployed the National Guard against the will of Governor Newsom, and his “Border Czar” Tom Homan made dire threats.

Meanwhile the crew of the Freedom Flotilla including Greta Thunberg were arrested in international waters while attempting to bring lifesaving supplies to Gaza.

Please see the NC Poor People’s Campaign email below and show up if you can for the action by the Union of Southern Service Workers today and by El Pueblo tomorrow. And, of course, find a protest near you this Saturday June 14 and make plans to attend with a friend or two... Read more

Democracy Out Loud - 6/9/25

First they came for the immigrants...

Today, I want to talk about the crack down on immigrants and how we can respond. We all know that part of Project 2025 is to blame all woes of this country on non-Christian whites (and women are included in the blame even if they are white and Christian). The way to do this is to instill fear in people that the root cause of the erosion of our country comes from our immigrants. This is an old playbook, sadly. This is why we see so many signs saying, “First they came for the immigrants.” And this message about immigrants ruining our country resonated with those who feel downtrodden, who cannot buy a house, put food on the table, or support their families. Rather than blame the wealthy who are stealing their money, the wealthy want to point a finger at innocent, hard-working immigrants, many of whom fled countries in which they were either in danger of violence or danger of not being able to provide for their families. I am preaching to the choir here so won’t go on and on about this… Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/9/25

I get by with a little help from my friends

Let’s be a part of and support others in our community. One of the tactics of authoritarian regimes is to make us feel alone and helpless. We are not solitary; we are all in this together. Save the date of an upcoming event to come together... Read more

Durham Dems Action - 6/8/25

Service to our country feeds the soul

I think service work, especially when done with community, is good for the soul. When we only do things that benefit ourselves, it’s not as rewarding as when we do things for others. And I like the aspect of it being across all strata of our society to bring us together. While many do volunteer work, so many people do not do any. They only do things that benefit themselves or their families only. When we help others, even strangers, it gives us a higher purpose and builds our connection with others… Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/8/25

Must highlight that corruption goes beyond regime

AMAZING!!! They brought Abrego Garcia home!! Pressure works!!! We will continue to focus on due process and ICE raids (come to RDU where we protest Avelo on Mondays at 7:15!). At least we can celebrate that the regime will listen to the courts!

We had an amazing last protest at Tesla. We went for 14 weeks in a row. The Tesla protest was the first protest I have ever organized. I was so nervous on that first one and amazed to see almost 150 people come! We could not have predicted how well these protests could have gone. Tesla stocks dropped, with them dropping even more in the last few days since his mudslinging battle with TACO (we cannot take credit for that). It’s such a dedicated group of protectors… Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/7/25

Democracy Out Loud #436: Break the spell

I appreciate the concept of breaking the spell, because that is exactly what needs to happen. We can increasingly wake up, and wake each other up, to the truth of what is actually happening and act accordingly. Trump, Musk, and the billionaires together with their militarized police force and militias are weak and clueless about what really matters in this life. They have force, but we have power.

One of the things that worries me is the attitude that “the pendulum will swing back.” Actually, the other side has been so organized for so long that they could win unless we can bring our whole selves, in large numbers, to this fight. That is starting to happen... Read more

Democracy Out Loud - 6/6/25

Elected officials should be working for We the People

Today, I want to spell out the corruption that has come from PACs and Super PACs funding campaigns of our elected officials. Thanks, Onja for sending this article to inspire this post (and I had it written before I read Hubbell’s post today, amazing synchrony!). Things started to really go awry based on the Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling of Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission. This ruling took down the barriers for finance restrictions and allowed corporations and other outside groups to give an unlimited amount of money to candidates. Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/6/25

Onlooker Slowdown

I allowed the constant reports of efforts to destroy democracy, culture, universities and health, the masked men whisking people away, the evil and grift to gain a hypnotic hold on me. I was unable to tear my eyes or thoughts away too much of the time. With that dominant narrative, I became mired, felt powerless and exhausted. I knew it was happening, I just couldn’t seem to fix it. Taking a break was essential to break the spell. Read more

Defending Democracy/Practicing Self Care - 6/5/25

Growing this movement through our stories

The mission of Engaged Durhamites 4 Democracy is to grow our movement to get 3.5% of the population acting consistently to topple this regime. Our focus must be on growing this movement. We had a dedicated family coming to Tesla each week. It is not growing much, however. We need to have our eye on the prize of getting more folks to our protests.

Therefore, starting on Friday June 13th, we are moving to the Brier Creek location where the Tuesday protests that Maureen and John are coordinating. I will create a new mobilize link with details and also will have details in the Action Opps email I sent this week and next. We also will talk to all who come on Friday with the new location information. For now, we are sticking with Fridays 4-6. In the future, we might move it to Sundays, but not right now. Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/5/25

The scientist is learning the science of resistance: We have the tools and will use them!

What an amazing TACO Tuesday with three protests happening from folks in our group. It is amazing. I counted 10 protests happening every week just from this group. That is incredible!! And I only officially “host” 3 of these, meaning 7 other leaders are stepping up. Totally incredible!!!

We had another amazing day on the bridge over I-147. We had 23, of which five were new to our bridge. I love the growth. We are seeing it every single week. And the joy that we share is priceless. And we were able to help many scan the QR Code for the June 14th march. Judy is a true activism warrior with her sandwich sign with the QR code! We also uploaded another “short” to our YouTube channel. And check out Mark’s cool shirt that he won. Nice to welcome Michael to the bridge who rode his bike! Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/4/25

6/1 Meeting Summary & Event Calendar

So great to see you all Sunday - we lucked out with the timing of the rain! As always, below will be actions, events, and a summary of the meeting. But first — some good news. I mentioned that the NC GOP was planning to bring HB127 to committee this morning — the bill would criminalize voter registration drives. Democracy Out Loud organized a voter registration drive in protest, and many of us called and spread the word on social media. They took it out of the committee meeting and did not vote. This is a win! It could come back anytime, but it shows how when we show up, we can make a difference. Read more

Bull City Indivisible - 6/1/25

DOGE needs to get out of Dodge

Great job pressuring all! HB 127 will now not be discussed today. Maddie planned a voter registration protest right about the General Assembly. Mark was going to attend and also speak the Education Committee, which was voting on the Voter Registration Form Bill today at 10AM. But our pressure made a difference, and they changed that bill to take out the language making registering voters illegal. Thank for your advocacy!!

Remember, our actions matter as they helped DOGE retreat. They will not admit that as they want us to go away. We are not going away!! Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/3/25

In our town, everyone is welcome.

The resilience of anti-authoritarian activists is also fueled by hope. Autocratic states know exactly how powerful hope can be: that's why they have always used propaganda and threat to demoralize people and make them believe that it is useless to resist. Read more

Durham Dems Action - 6/2/25

Big bad bill: See through smoke and mirrors

Happy Monday! I am happier than a clam to be able to do activism to grow this movement again. It was a nice break, but I was ready to get going again! We had a great time asking folks to scan the QR code for the march in Durham on June 14th. There were 5 of us who went out in our separate neighborhoods. Wow! It was rewarding chatting with folks and having them sign up for the march. Most of the people I talked to had not heard about it. Some said they would be out of town, but then they looked up No Kings to find the one near them. Of course, some people were not interested in attending, but most folks were. It’s also just good to spread the word that there’s a lot of resistance happening that we the people have power. Many said they would spread to their bubbles, so we have more bubbles of folks getting engaged! Anytime I have a free moment, I’m just going to go down 9th Street by my house or go to downtown Durham to try to sign more people up. We must spread the word! Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/2/25

No more bulls in China shop

I post each day on purpose, and it is not to overwhelm you. The opposite is actually my intent. I do this in part to avoid your feeling your zone is being flooded. Instead of having to read five or six Substacks, I try to make it so that you can rely on this one to help keep your finger on the pulse. It can be so easy to be overwhelmed by all of the emails and all of the news. I feel like part of my job is to filter things to keep them manageable and to keep us positive and moving forward.

I hope I’m achieving that goal, and please know that I’m always open to feedback and have appreciated it. Wen folks have given me both positive and constructive feedback so I can do this in the best way possible. Read more

Engaged Durhamites for Democracy - 6/1/25

Update on JUNE 14: With Liberty and Justice for All

Cookies, volunteers, focus on the Courts and an evil NCGA bill Read more

Durham Dems Action - 6/1/25