Right now, we must stand strong against the dismantling of our public libraries and independent local schools.
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So many of our institutions are being tested, while others are crumbling or being purposefully dismantled. People who are standing up are sometimes being punished. We are past the phase of polite little actions using the systems set up by a government which no longer represents many of us. Here’s a list of things you can accomplish this week in the fight for what’s right.
1. Apply for a library card if you don’t already have one.
I signed up for a digital library card. Libraries are under attack, and they need our support. Also, they are amazing. I had a library card when we first lived here, but I no longer have it, and I’m sure it expired years ago. With the digital card, I’ll be able to access all kinds of materials, and also count in the numbers of people who use libraries.
Your library system probably has this option, and it is quick and easy. I typed in my county library district and the word “card” into Google and a registration form came right up.
2. Protect public libraries.
In April, all staff of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) were placed on administrative leave. Courts all over the country are fighting this. In Washington, DC, a court issued a restraining order to stop the Trump administration from further dismantling the library system. In Rhode Island, on May 6, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought by 21 states, challenging cuts to libraries and museums and the agencies that support them.
What we are seeing is an executive branch trying to do whatever it wants, and a judiciary branch upholding our democratic ideals as best it can. Time to bring in the all-but-lifeless legislative branch. To this end, I signed a petition and sent an email to my congresspeople asking them to protect our public libraries.
3. Sign the petition to reinstate Melissa Calhoun.
Melissa Calhoun was an AP literature teacher at Satellite High School in Brevard County, FL. She referred to a student by a name the student asked to be called. But because of rules in Florida that require parents to sign off on any “nicknames” their kids can be called, she overstepped parental consent here, according to the law commonly known as “Don’t Say Gay.” The Brevard school system has decided not to renew her contract. If nothing is done, she will no longer be a teacher in a system where she’s taught for 12 years.
I signed this petition to reinstate Calhoun. If you are in Brevard County, this petition contains the decision makers’ contact info. Please contact them, too. If you don’t live in the county, they aren’t going to care nearly as much — but if the petition gets enough signatures, national scrutiny will ensue — which will get the local officials’ attention.
The story, as of right now, has died down. Calhoun is the first teacher to lose her job over “Don’t Say Gay,” and up to now we’re letting it happen. Time to take action by shining a light on this un-American injustice. The clock is ticking.
4. Help coordinate and organize protests.
As we move into more organized and bigger protests, there are many pieces that need to fall into place. One of the bigger things I know I can help with is alerting the media. Activists are often so consumed with the work, they can’t spare a thought for the coverage. But if a tree falls in a forest and the media doesn’t cover it, will anyone ever know?
My city, Gainesville, took part in the May Day Hands Off protest organized on the national level by the group 50501. I got all the details from our local resistance crew, and I fashioned them into a press release. Catchy headline, date, contact information, and, in the body, the date, time, and location of the event, with an estimated crowd size in bold. Then a paragraph about the issues at stake, then a quote from the organizer, and then the date and time and place again, in bold again. End it with the traditional three pound signs — ### — that signify the end.
Once the press release was written, I sent a copy to the man who had asked for my help, along with all the local media contacts I had: three newspapers, three broadcast outlets, and a couple of online-only publications.
The protest drew at least 1,000 people. For a Thursday night, that’s not bad. And it contributed to the nationwide movement we continue to build. Remember the organizer’s mantra: If you build it, they might come. But if you continue to advertise it — before and after (so those who didn’t attend they know what they missed) — they are much more likely to show up.
And when they do come, and the alerted media cover it, many more people will learn about the issue and the passions it has aroused, and the wave of activism will keep growing. Because it is solidarity among like-minded people across the nation that will grow the resistance. Activism changes minds, but only when people know about it.
5. Attend marshal trainings
As the word gets out, the protests will get bigger, but don’t expect them to be all support and no dissent. Counter-protests may form. People who are ostensibly on the same side may quarrel as different issues take attention away from their personal focus. At these gatherings, it is important to keep everyone calm, safe, and together.
To that end, we need people on the ground trained in de-escalation techniques. We need people who can organize thousands to march together, chant as one, and not get distracted by detractors. We need people trained in first aid and CPR. With those pieces in place, we can organize better, smoother, more effective protests.
To learn more about this, I attended a marshal training for protests. This was specifically for a May Day gathering in DC, but what I learned is applicable to any large, locally organized protest where the first order of business has got to be to make sure everyone is safe.
The instructors spoke a lot about methods to promote “assertive intervention,” which can be kept in mind with the mnemonic ABCDEF.
Access the situation: What’s happening, who is involved?
Be focused: Be calm, grounded, and mindful of body language.
Choose carefully if you want to get involved in a tussle or dissent, and plan how you are going to do it. Who do you need for support to effectively engage and then de-escalate?
Distract, Distance, Delay, Delegate, Document, Directly intervene: the six Ds. Each scenario is different, so determine ahead of time what you will do in each. Always play to your strengths. Some people are better at distraction than direct intervention. Some are better at delegating tasks than standing their ground against would-be antagonists.
Escalate: Once you determine you need assistance, send to a lead marshal for help. There is power in numbers and in establishing a clear line of authority.
Focus on one person at a time. Your first interaction with any one person will set the tone for the rest. Be mindful of how many people are in each space and use that knowledge to treat those in need of attention with your full focus.
When negotiating with potential allies, use de-escalating language. Ask questions. Always include people with contrary ideas in any arrangements. For example: “You said you are really passionate about health care; today we’re talking about immigration. Do you know how those are connected?”
Try to put yourself in their shoes. Keep in mind that, whatever your differences, you’re basically on the same side when it comes to the issues. Let that be reflected in your language: “How can I help you? Let’s make this work.”
Ask people for their names, pay attention to introductions, and keep using positive language. Use repetition for clarification. Allow people to vent their frustrations: Sometimes they just want someone to listen to them.
Ask open-ended questions, and openly acknowledge any sticking points. For example: “We’re sorry you’re having a hard time, that this isn’t the issue you are focused on. What is on your mind right now?” Try to make everyone feel supported in the space you’re all sharing.
Using these techniques, you should be able to take on a greater role in protests if you so choose: not just making your voice heard, but helping the organizers and marshals to keep the protesters safe and focused on getting the message across.
6. Report racist fundraisers to the FTC.
In Minnesota, a white woman on a playground calls a Black child the N-word. In a video that initially garnered millions of views and has been reposted by several news outlets, a man confronts her about it. The woman, Shiloh Hendrix, doubles down.
She then takes in over $750,000 through a fundraising site called GiveSendGo. Hendrix says she needs the money to relocate because after the video went viral she felt unsafe in her old hometown:
My name is Shiloh and I have been put into a very dire situation. I recently had a kid steal from my 18month old sons diaper bag at a park. I called the kid out for what he was.
GiveSendGo CFO Jacob Wells is defending the fundraiser, saying, “Shiloh is going through a dark moment, just as much as this other family is, and we want to be a light in all of these moments.”
The little boy, who is reportedly on the autism spectrum, had his own fundraiser through the NAACP, but they closed it after raising $340,000.
This original video and its fundraiser reveal a not-so-shocking truth about Americans: All too many of us are either active racists or are willing to support those who are — to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Notably, the money coming into Hendrix’s fundraiser now is almost all from anonymous givers. A perfect microcosm of our national stance on this issue. We have some bellicose racists who are asking for our support. We have some racists willing to publicly support racist actions. And we have a large number of closeted racists who quietly support the out-there racists.
So, how do we fight back? In this case, we can report the fundraiser to its payment processor, Stripe. File a complaint here. We can also file two kinds of complaints with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC): 1) Call out the FTC for facilitating the funding of hate speech, and 2) Call on the FTC to develop a paper trail to hold companies like GiveSendGo accountable for what happens on their platform. The FTC complaint portal has been renamed the ReportFraud portal, but it serves the same purpose. Go here to do it.
7. Email your representative to stop the EPIC Act.
A new bill introduced in Congress — the deceptively named Ensuring Pathways to Innovative Cures Act — would allow drug companies to avoid price negotiation with Medicare on “small-molecule” drugs for 13 years. Small-molecule drugs can enter cells more easily because they have lower molecular weight. These drugs range from ibuprofen to antibiotics to targeted cancer treatments.
The EPIC bill aims to amend the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. Two-thirds of Americans support Medicare being able to negotiate all drug prices, without exception. So I used this form (available online from the Action Network) to send an email to my representative asking her to vote No on the bill and stand with her constituents who need these drugs at a reasonable price.
So, the bottom line is: It’s time to support our independent community organizations, like schools and libraries, that the Trump administration is trying to politicize. Time to back our teachers and organizers and engaged residents. Time to take a stand against racism through protests and other political action. Time for more than words. Time to do the background work so that we have the wherewithal to stand up and be counted when we’re called upon. That time is coming — soon. See you next week.
Past weeks of “One Small Thing” can be found here.
