A Time to Shake Things Up

The gameplan for getting back on your feet

(Welcome to new readers. You can see all previous posts here.)

Have you had enough? In the aftermath of November 5^th, many of us were so paralyzed with doom and defeat that it was unclear who could summon the energy to fight back against the devastation ahead. The sophistication of Trump’s opening blizzard of executive orders and firings, coupled with the surprising (even to Republicans) personal involvement of the world’s richest man only further demoralized. But spring is here. Rallies are spreading. People are waking up and fighting back.

Still, it can be hard to know where to plug in and what is worthwhile in a moment when the extreme right has amassed such power.

This is a gameplan for reengagement, for everyone to find their way onto the very long road ahead to restore the country.

1. Focus

This idea, borrowed from the great organizer Mariame Kaba, is to focus on one or two projects you can get involved with to make a difference. Right now there are so many things going wrong nationally that it’s nearly impossible to keep up. The good news is that you don’t have to. Since this administration is bludgeoning a century of progress on education, the environment, foreign aid, science, healthcare and more, just pick one or two issues where you want to make a difference. Each week will bring its hot new item (“Protest the Schumer book tour!”), but advocacy needs to be sustained, in this case most likely through 2028 at minimum, so your commitment will be welcome.

2. Find where your skill and passion meet

To compliment focusing, find the intersection of what you’re good at and what you’re passionate about. Maybe you’re fired up about an issue, but hate going door to door to talk about it. Or don’t like protesting in the cold. Or hate long organizing meetings. That’s all ok! There are so many ways to make an impact in 2025. Online organizing and in-person organizing are both valid and both necessary. Every activist campaign needs artwork, fundraising, logistics – you don’t have to be good with a bullhorn or able to file a legal motion to help. If you’re already in the workforce, you’re probably good at something that can contribute to activist movement spaces. Likewise, there’s no need to go full bore on an issue that you’re less than passionate about just because it’s important, especially in this moment. And if you’re young and still figuring it out, I’ve always counseled that finding the intersection of what you’re good at and what you love is the most exciting quest to uncovering what eventually becomes a career.

3. Start local

It’s been a blast attending and speaking at not one, but three Staten Island protests against Rep. Nicole Malliotakis’ Medicaid cuts in the past few weeks. Our “forgotten borough” is known for its right-wing politics, and despite NY-11 being a swing district during the 2010s, Malliotakis won by 28 points in 2024. So to see people from across the island (and Brooklyn) showing up in large numbers to protest is incredibly exciting, and the best organizing opportunity we’ve had since I moved here four years ago.

During election years, it seems like the only place where organizing energy goes is “swing states” and a handful of competitive races. Conversely, New York’s liberal City Council and State Legislature means a handful of influential committee chairs and legislative leaders make all the big calls on important bills. This moment is different. There is not a single place in this country that doesn’t need better organizing. For conservative districts, these horrific Trump/Musk policies are hurting them too, and create new opportunities. For swing districts, winning the House in 2026 may decide the fate of our country. And for liberal districts, nearly all of them need to do a hell of a lot better standing up to this madness. They all need to hear from you!

And while we’re talking local, the Stop Cuomo campaign is in full effect here in NYC. Support any of the many good candidates running, and rank five of them in June for the Democratic primary. You can listen to my interview on the Left in the Forgotten Borough podcast, where I go deep with host Andrew Savage on my experience on the Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption, and the corruption I witnessed first-hand from Andrew Cuomo. I also discuss why Cuomo is wrong for NYC in my previous Substack post.

4. Call for new leadership

The people who lead us into this mess are not going to be the people who lead us out if. Yes, I’m talking about prominent national political leaders, but also local political leaders and party officials. I’m talking about nonprofit leaders who have spent decades in power. Who among them has truly earned another five years at the top? Same with labor. Even activist groups – no, especially activist groups. Activists are supposed to most represent grassroots power, so if the same activist has controlled a grassroots group since before Trump was first elected, that should tell you something. I’ve written repeatedly about the need to elevate new leaders. At this point, the status quo is no longer even an option. If we don’t see a wave of retirements and baton passing in the months ahead, then we need to start demanding it.

5. If all else fails, just show up

Maybe you’re still stuck, because you don’t even know where to start, or how to find the right group, the right protest, the right issue. As with any journey in life, the hardest step is the first one. I recommend getting out the door to the closest group of people protesting something that you’re aligned with. Introduce yourself to someone who looks friendly and ask to learn more. Attend the next meeting. Follow the leaders on social. In my career I’ve worked closely with hundreds of organizations, been to over 1,000 protests. Not all of them were for me. But circling back to the rest of the ideas here, you only need to find one place where you feel at home as an activist, and you never know which door will take you there.

Lastly, noncompliance can be action, and in some cases, the bravest kind. As this administration repeatedly pushes legal norms and boundaries, be the person who refuses to go along. By now we’ve all heard the expression, “Do not obey in advance.” Don’t abandon racial minorities, immigrants and trans people just because that’s what Trump is insisting. Speak up if your company or law firm is abandoning its professed values because they are scared. Defend free speech by standing up for someone you disagree with. In a world of countless injustices, there are just as many ways to do what’s right.

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There’s no sugarcoating how horrible things have been for the past two months since Trump’s inauguration. Or how hard things are stacked against us when big business and the courts are lining up next a government that flagrantly disrespects laws. But because inaction is surrender, it’s time to make moves. Given how poorly the Democratic Party and activist left’s leaders have served us for the past 10 years (or longer!), it’s time to shake things up. So let’s get to it. This is an all hands on deck moment, and your country is calling for you.

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