Isaacson explores the origins of the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” • He breaks down the historical context, showing how Jefferson drafted it and Franklin and Adams edited it. • The book highlights how those words shaped the American Dream and remain relevant in today’s polarized times.
Let’s be honest: this year has been a bit of a dumpster fire. Here at Red Wine & Blue, we’ve been hearing women in our community say they’re not sure how to make a difference — at least, not without totally losing their shit.
So we decided to tackle that question head-on with a brand-new podcast. It’s simply called How To Not Lose Your Sh!t and it’s hosted by our very own Katie Paris and LaFonda Cousin.
Katie, our founder, has worked in political organizing for most of her career. LaFonda, our Chief People Officer, is a wellness expert and yoga teacher on a mission to reimagine self-care. Every week, they’ll talk to experts and everyday women who are getting involved, building community, and feeling better in the process.
You can listen to our first episode with special guest Heather Cox Richardson on October 1st, with new episodes every Wednesday after that. If you’re already subscribed to the Red Wine & Blue podcast in your podcast player, you’ll automatically see new episodes each week here in your feed.
There are a lot of political podcasts out there already, and a lot of mental health and self-care shows too. What we want to do is reject that binary and explore how getting involved can actually be a form of not only caring for your community, but also yourself. We can’t wait for you to join us on a journey through self-care, politics, community, and tackling this difficult moment… together.
A New Vision for Building the Beloved Community By Adam Russell Taylor Recommended by: Bob Publisher: Broadleaf Books
Thinking about alternatives is an important part of the One Million Rising training. In the words of the president of Sojourners, Adam Russell Taylor, whom I heard speak recently, to build a “more perfect union,” we need to be focusing on three priorities: Blocking, Bridging, and Building. We are focused a lot on Blocking bad things happening, but have little power to do that. In the future, we can work on Bridging, but that will take a very long time and will entail millions of one-on-one relationships.
If there’s one universally accepted truth in the modern age, it’s that sequels suck. And Trump 2.0 will be no exception. Trump, Vance, and their MAGA minions feel vindicated by the victory of their bigoted, fascistic clown show of a presidential campaign. Trump takes office with a plan to institute the worst parts of Project 2025. He’ll be enabled by a judiciary packed with right-wing ideologues and a congressional majority stacked with MAGA foot soldiers. And he’s assembled a bloc of corporations and billionaires eager to do his bidding in exchange for tax cuts and corrupt favors. But he has no mandate for the staggeringly harmful agenda he’s about to unleash on the country. And together, we have the power to fight back — and win.
Recommended by: Bob B. – “A nonprofit working to create large collaborative projects to promote consensus policies frameworks with details that could be enacted by Congress on the basis of broad acceptance within the country from Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.”
In a recent YouGov poll, 83% of citizens wanted lawmakers from both parties to make our package of 39 life-enhancing reforms “a priority.”
These reforms would significantly advance citizens’ long-thwarted aspirations for:
Greater economic opportunity and growth
Schools that enable kids to reach their potential
Effective & affordable healthcare
Curbing the national debt
Reliable, clean & affordable energy
Fairer, simpler tax code
Congress organized to resolve our differences
Among the reforms that voters across the spectrum support, all but two have been around for years.
Congress has enacted NONE
The reason: Lawmakers win reelection over 90% of the time by blaming the other party for our critical problems and offering sound bites as remedies.
To overcome these dysfunctions, the Grand Bargain includes three reforms that would reward lawmakers who make major progress on our long-term ills — while those who stood in the way would be likely to lose their seats.
Hear Vinay Orekondy from the Grand Bargain Project talk passionately about our project at EarthX 2025 as part of a Rotaract Club spotlight.
The current Grand Bargain would produce vastly more benefits to society than the major legislation of this century, while shrinking the debt as a percentage of GDP.
For Independents, it’s not about reinventing the entire legislative process – it’s about re-designing the incentives and the system so that they work to benefit the American people.
Generation Z – adults aged 18-29 – represented by far the lowest turnout in the 2024 election, with only around 20 million voting despite more than double that number being eligible.
When communities struggle, the economy weakens, workforce shortages increase, and political divides deepen. If leaders continue to ignore these issues, the long-term consequences will be severe.
America, much like our universe, has always been a nation in motion. It has weathered crises, conflicts, and economic upheavals, yet through the lens of history, the country maintains a sense of forward momentum.
In a recent conversation with Lura Forcum, President at the Independent Center, it became clear just how much thought and purpose is driving this quiet movement. From voter education to future electoral influence, the Independent Center is carving out space for independents to belong and lead.
Recommended by: Bob B. – “Builders Movement, was launched by Starts With Us, and supported by Kind founder, Daniel Lubetsky.”
Our mission is to overcome “us vs. them” thinking and solve problems together. We equip people to uncover hidden common ground and build on it – with lasting solutions that reflect the will of the people.
Find Common Ground and Build Real Solutions Together
If enough people adopt a Builders Mindset, we can replace our toxic “us vs. them” culture with one of curiosity, compassion, courage, and creative innovation.
It won’t be easy. The incentives in our media, social algorithms, and politics reward and amplify the conflict entrepreneurs working overtime to divide, diminish, and destroy.
Our approach is to reach and teach people at scale with powerful content, equip them with new skills and innovative tools, and mobilize the growing Builders movement with grassroots civic programs to hold political leaders accountable for being Builders.
Practicing the 4Cs Daily
The Builders mindset is rooted in the 4Cs: curiosity, compassion, courage, and creativity. By adopting these values as daily habits, we promote flexible thinking, constructive problem solving, and respecting the dignity of all people.
Voting based on who will actually govern effectively is hard. It requires asking questions that go deeper than party labels, campaign slogans, and who “won” the last debate. If you’re tired of representatives who perform for their base instead of solving problems, here are five questions to ask before you cast your vote. These aren’t… The post 5 Questions to Ask Before You Vote appeared first on Builders.
Politics seeps into everything now, and if you’re dating or married to someone who votes differently from you, it can feel impossible to navigate. Some couples can’t make it work. A 5,000-person survey found that one in six Americans has ended or considered ending a relationship because of political differences. But others have figured out how… The post From the Inbox: Couples Who Disagree Politically Tell Us How They Stay Together appeared first on Builders.
The Real Election in Texas Often Happens in March, Not November In Texas, most legislative races are already decided before November even arrives. The primary election in March is where your actual representative gets chosen. Due to gerrymandering and partisan sorting, the vast majority of Texas districts are “locked-in” for one party, meaning whichever candidate… The post Primary Elections 101: How to Actually Make a Difference in Texas Politics appeared first on Builders.
Every Election Day in November, we treat the ballot box like the main event. And sure, picking leaders then matters. But the real shaping of our democracy happens months earlier, in the quieter, low-turnout world of primary elections. That’s where the choices on the November ballot are made, and where most voters opt out, with… The post Voting in the Primaries Is the Most Important Thing You Can Do for Democracy — and You Probably Aren’t Doing It appeared first on Builders.
Accountability Must Apply to the DHS and Citizens Alike There is a lyric in Hamilton that is haunting right now. A loyalist to the King of England warns, “Chaos and bloodshed are not a solution. Don’t let them lead you astray.” Following the tragic killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by federal law enforcement, words… The post Minneapolis Doesn’t Need More Chaos—Here’s What It Needs Instead appeared first on Builders.
Texas is big. It’s got big land. Big personality. And big contradictions. Nowhere is that more evident than in the way urban and rural communities are positioned against each other. You’ve seen it in every election cycle, every social media argument, every news segment that needs a convenient villain. Cities are portrayed as liberal cesspools… The post How Politicians Manipulate the Urban-Rural Divide in Texas—and How We Can Push Back appeared first on Builders.
We live in a world where everyone has an opinion on everything, and far too many of those opinions are formed in about three seconds based on a headline or a tweet. That’s not thinking—that’s reacting. Real thinking, the kind that actually helps you understand complicated issues instead of just picking a side, takes more… The post The Missing Tool for Tackling Tough Problems: Value-Based Analysis appeared first on Builders.
The power of flexible thinking—and how to practice it daily We rarely find solutions by winning an argument. It comes from finding the thin strip of common ground where people with different beliefs decide to work together anyway. We saw this firsthand in our Citizen Solutions session in Austin, Texas. Participants came from very different… The post The Future Belongs to People Who Can Change Their Minds appeared first on Builders.
As Texas settles into one of its coldest stretches of the year, Texans are once again nervously eyeing their thermostats and wondering if the grid will withstand the rest of the winter. In February 2021, Winter Storm Uri showed just how bad grid failure can get. Millions of Texans lost power when temperatures dropped, and… The post Texas Fixed Its Power Grid. Now a New Threat Is Testing It. appeared first on Builders.
Satisfaction with democracy is deep in the hole. Only 34% of Americans are satisfied with how democracy is working in the U.S., according to a 2025 Gallup poll. Overall, Americans’ satisfaction with democracy has been in steady decline from its peak of 60% in the mid-1980s. This persistent disillusionment has given rise to the idea… The post Here’s Why Only One-Third Of Americans Think Democracy Is Working in the U.S. appeared first on Builders.
Your year-end gift helps turn common ground into real-world change—equipping Builders across the country to replace division with solutions. Is it just me, or did 2025 feel like 3 years compressed into one? As I look at the remaining days on the calendar, I am struck by the sweeping changes, from a new administration right… The post The Moment Is Urgent. The Future Is Ours to Build. appeared first on Builders.
Here’s the good news: you are a Builder! This growing community is a place for hopeful problem solvers. We know most Americans agree far more than our politics makes it seem, and we lean into courage and curiosity to find common ground. Thanks to Builders like you, we are creating lasting solutions that improve our… The post Help Turn Common Ground into Real Change appeared first on Builders.
A Message from Galvanize Action about a huge block of persuadable voters!
“White women are the largest voting bloc in this country and will be for decades to come. They account for 38% of the national vote share and 43% of the vote share across Galvanize Action’s priority states. Within this voting bloc, we’ve identified 44,093,812 moderate women who are not ideologically entrenched, meaning they are open to new ideas and perspectives and movable on key issues such as reproductive freedom, healthcare, gender equity, climate, and the economy.”
Galvanize Action has a fabulous interactive messaging worksheet we can all use!
Galvanize Action says, “We’ll share with you exactly how to create a message that meets people at their values and how to turn those into an effective ad. Our interactive worksheet will guide you through the process with prompts about your target audience and the issue you want to move them on. You’ll walk away with customized advice!”
Using Convergent Facilitation to Reach Breakthrough Collaborative Decisions
by Miki Kashtan
Miki introduces a novel decision-making process called Convergent Facilitation that builds trust from the beginning, surfaces concerns and addresses them, and turns conflicts into creative dilemmas that groups feel energized to solve together. This highly effective process has been used successfully around the world to resolve problems and teach people how to collaborate without sacrificing productivity.
We’re a grassroots movement of thousands of local Indivisible groups with a mission to elect progressive leaders, rebuild our democracy, and defeat the Trump agenda.
Defeating a multi-decade right-wing takeover of American government ain’t easy. But we’re here to win, and we have a plan. Here’s how we’re doing it:
We Are Indivisible. Our opponents depend on a divide-and-conquer strategy, so we treat an attack on one like an attack on all. We show up for each other, and particularly for those facing the brunt of right-wing ideologues’ attacks – often immigrants, people of color, and low-income people. We share a vision: a real democracy, of, by, and for everyone.
Strong Leaders, Strong Groups, Strong Movement. We build and sustain our movement’s power by helping individuals take leadership. They grow and lead local Indivisible groups, take independent action, and coordinate with their fellow local leaders. As a movement, our power comes from coordinated national campaigns where we act together, indivisible.
Inside/Outside Strategy. We understand systems of power – like how Congress operates – and we work inside them to get results. That complements our outside strategy of locally-based constituent pressure to demand elected leaders, regardless of political party, work for our democracy.
A Virtuous Cycle of Advocacy and Elections. We show up to advocate for policy wins in off-years and get out the vote in election years. These efforts reinforce each other to ensure our democracy works for all of us and that the people in power do too – or we will replace them with electeds who will.
Resist and Reimagine: Lessons from Minnesota on Fighting Authoritarianism
Organizers and community members in Minnesota are transforming crisis into action and tragedy into solidarity. Join us for a conversation with labor and community leaders from Minnesota including special guests …Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-5) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-7). They’ll share practical lessons for fellow organizers on organizing in the midst of crisis, rapid response, economic solidarity actions, and how Minnesota’s experience can help other communities prepare to protect each other. Don’t miss this community conversation featuring
Minister JaNaé Imari (Bates), Co-Executive Director, Faith in MN;
Elianne Farhat, Co-Executive Director, TakeAction Minnesota;
Jennifer Arnold, Executive Director, Inquilinxs Unidxs por Justicia;
Bernie Burnham, President, MN AFL-CIO;
Bishop Dwayne Royster, Executive Director, Faith in Action;
Sammy Chavin-Grant, Deputy Policy Director, Indivisible;
Sara Steffens, Worker Power Director, We Build Progress;
Indivisible is a national grassroots movement dedicated to building progressive power and fixing our democracy. We have hundreds of groups around the country fighting for D.C. statehood, court reform, racial justice, climate justice, and more. Subscribe to our channel today!
Resist and Reimagine: Lessons from Minnesota on Fighting Authoritarianism
Organizers and community members in Minnesota are transforming crisis into action and tragedy into solidarity. Join us for a conversation with labor and community leaders from Minnesota including special guests Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-5) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-7). They’ll share practical lessons for fellow organizers on organizing in the midst of crisis, rapid response, economic solidarity actions, and how Minnesota’s experience can help other communities prepare to protect each other. …
Organizers and community members in Minnesota are transforming crisis into action and tragedy into solidarity. Join us for a conversation with labor and community leaders from Minnesota including special guests …Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-5) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-7). They’ll share practical lessons for fellow organizers on organizing in the midst of crisis, rapid response, economic solidarity actions, and how Minnesota’s experience can help other communities prepare to protect each other. Don’t miss this community conversation featuring
Minister JaNaé Imari (Bates), Co-Executive Director, Faith in MN;
Elianne Farhat, Co-Executive Director, TakeAction Minnesota;
Jennifer Arnold, Executive Director, Inquilinxs Unidxs por Justicia;
Bernie Burnham, President, MN AFL-CIO;
Bishop Dwayne Royster, Executive Director, Faith in Action;
Sammy Chavin-Grant, Deputy Policy Director, Indivisible;
Sara Steffens, Worker Power Director, We Build Progress;
Indivisible is a national grassroots movement dedicated to building progressive power and fixing our democracy. We have hundreds of groups around the country fighting for D.C. statehood, court reform, racial justice, climate justice, and more. Subscribe to our channel today!
2.6.26 What's the Plan? A Weekly Discussion with Leah and Ezra
Dismantle DHS and start over! Trump and his goons are talking more and more about subverting the election. Leah calmly walks us through our mantra: they’re going to lose. Ezra goes over what we can do to stiffen Dem spines in the life fight over DHS funding this next week. And as always, we discuss your questions about strategy, tactics, messaging, and whether our cat would ever attend a protest (spoiler: no). 00:00 Intro 16:10 Q&A —– About What’s the Plan: The onslaught of news, the …
Dismantle DHS and start over!
Trump and his goons are talking more and more about subverting the election. Leah calmly walks us through our mantra: they’re going to lose. Ezra goes …over what we can do to stiffen Dem spines in the life fight over DHS funding this next week. And as always, we discuss your questions about strategy, tactics, messaging, and whether our cat would ever attend a protest (spoiler: no).
00:00 Intro
16:10 Q&A
—–
About What’s the Plan:
The onslaught of news, the chaos coming out of the White House – it’s all meant to overwhelm us. It’s a deliberate strategy to sow confusion and make us believe we are powerless to fight back.
The antidote: Coming together in community to process what’s happening, to sift through what’s important and what’s just noise, and coalesce around strategies for fighting back.
Join Indivisible co-founders Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin each week, as we carve out an hour to discuss what’s happening and – more importantly – what’s the plan.
Indivisible is a national grassroots movement dedicated to building progressive power and fixing our democracy. We have hundreds of groups around the country fighting for D.C. statehood, court reform, racial justice, climate justice, and more. Subscribe to our channel today!
After the most recent killings in Minneapolis and elsewhere – and as we prepare for the next No Kings mobilization on March 28 – exercising our constitutional right to document and record ICE and federal agents is more important than ever! This call will give you the tools to exercise your rights in a moment when federal agents are terrorizing our communities and using excessive force. —– Indivisible is a national grassroots movement dedicated to building progressive power and fixing our …
After the most recent killings in Minneapolis and elsewhere – and as we prepare for the next No Kings mobilization on March 28 – exercising our constitutional right to document …and record ICE and federal agents is more important than ever! This call will give you the tools to exercise your rights in a moment when federal agents are terrorizing our communities and using excessive force.
—–
Indivisible is a national grassroots movement dedicated to building progressive power and fixing our democracy. We have hundreds of groups around the country fighting for D.C. statehood, court reform, racial justice, climate justice, and more. Subscribe to our channel today!
1.30.26 What's the Plan? A Weekly Discussion with Leah and Ezra
No Kings III w/ Erica Chenoweth Newly announced No Kings III is on track to become the largest protest in American history! Ezra and Leah welcome to the conversation famed expert in social movements Erica Chenoweth to discuss the strategic logic of nonviolent protest and noncooperation, organizing against ICE, and how we can convince an opposition party to fight back. As always, we take top questions voted live! 00:00 Intro 09:40 Guest: Erica Chenoweth 20:03 Q&A —– About What’s the Plan: …
No Kings III w/ Erica Chenoweth
Newly announced No Kings III is on track to become the largest protest in American history! Ezra and Leah welcome to the conversation famed expert …in social movements Erica Chenoweth to discuss the strategic logic of nonviolent protest and noncooperation, organizing against ICE, and how we can convince an opposition party to fight back. As always, we take top questions voted live!
The onslaught of news, the chaos coming out of the White House – it’s all meant to overwhelm us. It’s a deliberate strategy to sow confusion and make us believe we are powerless to fight back.
The antidote: Coming together in community to process what’s happening, to sift through what’s important and what’s just noise, and coalesce around strategies for fighting back.
Join Indivisible co-founders Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin each week, as we carve out an hour to discuss what’s happening and – more importantly – what’s the plan.
Indivisible is a national grassroots movement dedicated to building progressive power and fixing our democracy. We have hundreds of groups around the country fighting for D.C. statehood, court reform, racial justice, climate justice, and more. Subscribe to our channel today!
1.22.26 What's the Plan? A Weekly Discussion with Leah and Ezra
So what can we actually do about ICE? ICE’s terror campaign is escalating. But Democrats in Congress have a rare opportunity to rein them in. What’s the plan? We’re mobilizing for a National Day of Solidarity with Minneapolis on Friday, January 23rd, we’re yelling at GOP members of Congress for backing this fascist regime, and we’re yelling at Democrats in Congress to fight back while they have the chance. And as always, we’re taking your top-voted questions in real time. —– About What’s …
So what can we actually do about ICE?
ICE’s terror campaign is escalating. But Democrats in Congress have a rare opportunity to rein them in. What’s the plan? We’re mobilizing for …a National Day of Solidarity with Minneapolis on Friday, January 23rd, we’re yelling at GOP members of Congress for backing this fascist regime, and we’re yelling at Democrats in Congress to fight back while they have the chance. And as always, we’re taking your top-voted questions in real time.
—–
About What’s the Plan:
The onslaught of news, the chaos coming out of the White House – it’s all meant to overwhelm us. It’s a deliberate strategy to sow confusion and make us believe we are powerless to fight back.
The antidote: Coming together in community to process what’s happening, to sift through what’s important and what’s just noise, and coalesce around strategies for fighting back.
Join Indivisible co-founders Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin each week, as we carve out an hour to discuss what’s happening and – more importantly – what’s the plan.
Indivisible is a national grassroots movement dedicated to building progressive power and fixing our democracy. We have hundreds of groups around the country fighting for D.C. statehood, court reform, racial justice, climate justice, and more. Subscribe to our channel today!
1.15.26 What's the Plan? A Weekly Discussion with Leah and Ezra
The onslaught of news, the chaos coming out of the White House – it’s all meant to overwhelm us. It’s a deliberate strategy to sow confusion and make us believe we are powerless to fight back. The antidote: Coming together in community to process what’s happening, to sift through what’s important and what’s just noise, and coalesce around strategies for fighting back. Join Indivisible co-founders Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin each week, as we carve out an hour to discuss what’s happening …
The onslaught of news, the chaos coming out of the White House – it’s all meant to overwhelm us. It’s a deliberate strategy to sow confusion and make us believe …we are powerless to fight back.
The antidote: Coming together in community to process what’s happening, to sift through what’s important and what’s just noise, and coalesce around strategies for fighting back.
Join Indivisible co-founders Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin each week, as we carve out an hour to discuss what’s happening and – more importantly – what’s the plan.
Indivisible is a national grassroots movement dedicated to building progressive power and fixing our democracy. We have hundreds of groups around the country fighting for D.C. statehood, court reform, racial justice, climate justice, and more. Subscribe to our channel today!
ICE OUT FOR GOOD: Join Indivisible, MoveOn Civic Action, Public Citizen, ACLU, Movimiento Migrante DC, Free DC, and more in Washington, D.C. to tell Congress: take action now to get ICE Out for Good. Call your members at http://bit.ly/ice-out-house and http://bit.ly/ice-out-senate. Following the ICE Out for Good weekend of action that saw nearly 1,200 protests against ICE nationwide, Senators Murphy, Van Hollen, and Padilla, and Representatives Frost and Jayapal will headline a rally and …
ICE OUT FOR GOOD: Join Indivisible, MoveOn Civic Action, Public Citizen, ACLU, Movimiento Migrante DC, Free DC, and more in Washington, D.C. to tell Congress: take action now to get …ICE Out for Good. Call your members at http://bit.ly/ice-out-house and http://bit.ly/ice-out-senate.
Following the ICE Out for Good weekend of action that saw nearly 1,200 protests against ICE nationwide, Senators Murphy, Van Hollen, and Padilla, and Representatives Frost and Jayapal will headline a rally and vigil outside of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection headquarters on Tuesday, January 13 at 5pm to build momentum for reining in the abuses of President Trump’s reckless and violent immigration enforcement agency and for kicking ICE out of Minnesota and our communities nationwide.
Indivisible is a national grassroots movement dedicated to building progressive power and fixing our democracy. We have hundreds of groups around the country fighting for D.C. statehood, court reform, racial justice, climate justice, and more. Subscribe to our channel today!
Rapid Response Call: ICE Killing and Lawlessness in Minneapolis
Recording of our January 8th rapid response call to discuss the killing by ICE in Minneapolis and their lawlessness and harm in communities across the country. You’ll hear from local and national leaders and provide concrete next steps on how you can take action. Links mentioned in the call are listed below. Ready to take action? Join us this weekend for the ICE Out for Good Weekend of Action January 10th – January 12th , learn more by reading the toolkit: http://bit.ly/4ptuucs Join the …
Recording of our January 8th rapid response call to discuss the killing by ICE in Minneapolis and their lawlessness and harm in communities across the country. You’ll hear from local …and national leaders and provide concrete next steps on how you can take action. Links mentioned in the call are listed below.
Ready to take action? Join us this weekend for the ICE Out for Good Weekend of Action January 10th – January 12th , learn more by reading the toolkit: http://bit.ly/4ptuucs
1.8.26 What's the Plan? A Weekly Discussion with Leah and Ezra
The onslaught of news, the chaos coming out of the White House – it’s all meant to overwhelm us. It’s a deliberate strategy to sow confusion and make us believe we are powerless to fight back. The antidote: Coming together in community to process what’s happening, to sift through what’s important and what’s just noise, and coalesce around strategies for fighting back. Join Indivisible co-founders Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin each week, as we carve out an hour to discuss what’s happening …
The onslaught of news, the chaos coming out of the White House – it’s all meant to overwhelm us. It’s a deliberate strategy to sow confusion and make us believe …we are powerless to fight back.
The antidote: Coming together in community to process what’s happening, to sift through what’s important and what’s just noise, and coalesce around strategies for fighting back.
Join Indivisible co-founders Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin each week, as we carve out an hour to discuss what’s happening and – more importantly – what’s the plan.
Indivisible is a national grassroots movement dedicated to building progressive power and fixing our democracy. We have hundreds of groups around the country fighting for D.C. statehood, court reform, racial justice, climate justice, and more. Subscribe to our channel today!
We need to act fast to ensure that Trump doesn’t run Venezuela. Congress can act this week to end Trump’s warmongering in Venezuela—and may vote as early as tomorrow. To take action and make your voices heard to members of Congress, go to https://Indivisi.org/no-war and http://MoveOn.org/NoWarLetter. Tonight’s call will be joined by thousands of fellow activists and progressive leaders, including Senator Tim Kaine, Representative Ilhan Omar, and Representative Greg Casar, to share our …
We need to act fast to ensure that Trump doesn’t run Venezuela.
Congress can act this week to end Trump’s warmongering in Venezuela—and may vote as early as tomorrow. To …take action and make your voices heard to members of Congress, go to https://Indivisi.org/no-war and http://MoveOn.org/NoWarLetter.
Tonight’s call will be joined by thousands of fellow activists and progressive leaders, including Senator Tim Kaine, Representative Ilhan Omar, and Representative Greg Casar, to share our opposition to Trump’s actions and learn about opportunities for timely, meaningful impact. We need fast, visible responses, directed at members of Congress, to prevent Trump from further dangerous military actions against other countries, and to get our focus back on running our own country.
This event is being hosted by MoveOn, Working Families Power, Indivisible, Public Citizen, People’s Action and Win Without War.
Indivisible is a national grassroots movement dedicated to building progressive power and fixing our democracy. We have hundreds of groups around the country fighting for D.C. statehood, court reform, racial justice, climate justice, and more. Subscribe to our channel today!
By Leah Greenberg, Indivisible Co-Founder and Co-Executive DirectorScreengrab via Democracy Now!Martin Luther King Jr. Day arrives this year amid a deliberate effort to rewrite American history and a wholesale assault on civil rights in America.It has been one year since Donald Trump was inaugurated on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It felt cruel and grotesque that a man who represents so much of what Dr. King stood against could rise to power on a day meant to honor the struggle for racial justice and democracy.Over the last year, we have seen a devastating, sustained attack on nearly every facet of the […]
Over Thanksgiving weekend, tens of thousands of people across the country came together to say “We Ain’t Buying It!” to companies that have capitulated to Trump.From Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, they participated in a shopping pause at Target, Home Depot, and Amazon, in protest of those retailers completely caving to the Trump administration and going along with their harmful, authoritarian policies.Target rolled back their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policiesHome Depot has done nothing to protect immigrants in their stores as ICE continues to conduct violent raids on their property.Amazon has funded the Trump administration through donations and significantly discounted government […]
It’s time to turn the page in the Democratic Party.Since his election in 2016, Indivisible has been dedicated to the defeat of Donald Trump and his authoritarian political project. Winning this fight is existential for our country and our communities, and the struggle in 2025 is as stark as it has ever been. Donald Trump rules as a wannabe king, dismantling our democracy with a league of sycophantic enablers at his side. Empowered by techno-fascists, corrupt self-dealing billionaires and corporate cowards, this regime is killing the American experiment with a death by a thousand cuts.We have secret police forces and federal […]
By Sarah Dohl, Indivisible Chief Campaigns OfficerRemember the night Trump’s first reconciliation bill failed and we saved the Affordable Care Act?I do. It was July 28, 2017.After months of nonstop calls, packed town halls, and rallies in blistering Arizona heat, every sign pointed to defeat. Republicans appeared to have the votes to kill Obamacare, and we had our “we lost” email written, proofed, and ready to send. But we should have known better.Because in those months, weeks, and days leading up to that vote, Indivisibles never stopped fighting.Activists like you showed up at Susan Collins’ Fourth of July parades with signs and bullhorns. […]
By Leah Greenberg, Indivisible Co-Founder and Co-Executive DirectorOver the last six weeks, we’ve gotten the occasional question about why Indivisible, together with our coalition of incredible partners, called for No Kings Day on June 14.Why another protest? What is it going to accomplish? Shouldn’t we be [insert alternate tactic] instead?These are good-faith questions, and they stem from very reasonable concerns. The speed, scope, and scale of the MAGA assault — on our rights, our neighbors, our democracy — is staggering. The stakes are enormous. There are days when nothing we’re doing feels sufficient to the magnitude of the horrors we face.Protest is a tactic. And with any […]
via Indivisible Twin Cities on BlueskyWe are in the midst of a full-blown constitutional crisis.That statement has been true nearly every day since January 20, as the administration has usurped the powers of Congress by illegally freezing funds, declared fake emergencies to grant itself more power, and skirted judicial rulings.But Trump’s brazen defiance of a Supreme Court order to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from a Salvadoran torture prison is truly a watershed moment for our teetering democracy.To recap:The Trump administration has sent over 238 people (likely far more) to a torture prison in El Salvador without due process. Mounting […]
Yesterday was a bad day for Elon Musk and Donald Trump and a good day for democracy. Even after Musk spent more than $20 MILLION to buy a seat on Wisconsin’s top court, Susan Crawford won — and the liberal majority on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court is safe!This isn’t just a loss for Trump, Musk, and their lapdog Brad Schimel; it’s a wholesale rejection of oligarchy. The people of this country don’t want their courts stacked with bought-and-paid-for judges who’ll do the bidding of Musk and his billionaire friends. The vote results convey that loud and clear.And this isn’t just a victory for Susan Crawford […]
screengrab via KHOUToday, Donald Trump signed an executive order that aims to eliminate the Department of Education. Emphasis on “aims to.” Trump cannot unilaterally abolish a federal department created by Congress.Let’s be clear about what this executive order will do: it instructs Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to facilitate the department’s closure while playing legal tricks to avoid a court making them stop. This approach indicates that the executive order is a preliminary step toward dismantling the department, setting the stage for further actions rather than causing an immediate shutdown.Trump’s goal here is to weaken the department (and thus public education), […]
When Republicans first introduced their partisan funding bill to keep the government open — full of extreme cuts, attacks on basic rights, and provisions to give even more authority to Trump and Musk to continue dismantling the federal government — it was clear that the fight to stop it would require Democrats to operate with real unity.Federal employee unions, litigators fighting Trump in court, outside advocates, House Democrats, many Democratic party insiders, and Indivisible were all in lockstep that passing this bill would be worse than a government shutdown. The GOP funding bill would give Trump and Musk carte blanche to continue their administrative coup, […]
Over the past month, Indivisibles have been busy: holding demonstrations at Congressional offices, flooding Capitol Hill with calls and emails, peacefully protesting outside Tesla dealerships, and showing up to town halls in red, blue, and purple districts.This is what a real, grassroots opposition looks like. That opposition brings good attention: hundreds of thousands of new folks on our email list (if that’s you, hi), hundreds of new Indivisible groups formed in all 50 states, and SO many people using our toolkits to organize locally.But good resistance is also intended to get the attention of those we’re resisting — and it has.Over the past few […]
Recommended by: Bob B. – “Convergence Center for Policy Resolution, provides services and training for those wishing to transform conflict into collaboration.”
In a country marred by deep conflict, city, county, and state officials face mounting pressure to engage diverse stakeholders in resolving contentious and complex public policy issues. The Convergence Learning Lab’s training and consultation services empower leaders with the necessary skills to bridge these divides resulting in more productive public meetings, more constructive community engagement, and, ultimately, better outcomes for constituents.
Lab services are built on our unique, evidence-based collaborative problem-solving methodology which has been used to successfully address seemingly intractable political, social, organizational, and community-based issues.
Our process has proven consistently successful at producing the kinds of results that drive impact.
Convergence’s success offers a beacon of hope for the majorities of Americans frustrated by divisiveness that change is not only possible, but that we have the tools and the knowledge to bridge even the starkest divides with consistency. In addition, our success highlights the rich set of tools, practices, and resources that others can use to achieve similar successes.
We select issues that are ripe and amenable for Convergence and stakeholder-participants to collaboratively “unstick,” and frame a discussion-onramp to the issue that is both crucial and disarming.
We convene diverse tables of participant leaders and doers, many of whom oppose each other so stridently they never thought they could talk to one another.
We facilitate participants to build trust, find common ground. Participants abide by a set of ground rules including honoring all points of view, respecting the confidentiality of the conversation, and listening carefully when others speak.
We generate consensus solutions collaboratively among dialogue participants through establishing guiding principles that create a framework for the policy discussions to come. Once stakeholders are aligned on a bigger vision, they are ready to work together to produce new ideas and solutions.
We deliver societal impact and on-the-ground implementation of the solutions. By design, a Convergence project strives to engage stakeholders to take action on their ideas after the dialogue stage is completed, or in some instances, even while the dialogue is going on. Convergence itself does not formally endorse stakeholders’ proposals – it remains policy neutral – but often plays a stewarding role to maximize the impact stakeholders can achieve.
Bringing people together across divides to tackle today’s toughest challenges
Recommended by: Bob B. – “(NCDD), a nonprofit membership organization that maintains a database of collaborative organizations around the world.”
What We’re All About
The National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD) is a network of innovators who bring people together across divides to discuss, decide, and take action together effectively on today’s toughest issues. NCDD serves as a gathering place, a resource center, a news source, and a facilitative leader for this vital community of practice.
Dialogue and deliberation are innovative processes that help people come together across differences to tackle our most challenging problems. In a time when we are increasingly told how divided we are in so many ways in our nation and in our world, teaching, spreading, and supporting the skills of dialogue and deliberation are vital.
The NCDD website is a clearinghouse for literally thousands of resources and best practices, and our highly participatory national and regional conferences have brought together more nearly 3,000 practitioners, community leaders, public administrators, researchers, activists, teachers and students since 2002. We keep in touch monthly with 28,000 people involved in public engagement and conflict resolution work.
Above all, NCDD provides opportunities for members of the broadly-defined dialogue and deliberation (“D&D”) community to share knowledge, inspire one another, build collaborative relationships, and have a greater collective impact.
Below you’ll find our contact info, mission, details about our membership, and more. You can also read the full story of NCDD’s beginnings and learn about the NCDD team. And, of course, if this resonates with you, please consider becoming a member or making a donation to NCDD!
Why did the Coalition form?
NCDD exists to support the growing “dialogue and deliberation community” — a broadly-defined community of practice involving practitioners, scholars, activists, public officials, nonprofit leaders, process geeks, students, and others who engage and mobilize people to come together and strengthen understanding of each other and issues in ways that supports community-building and collaborative problem-solving.NCDD was formed in 2002 in response to a clear need for an infrastructure for learning and collaboration among those who approach D&D from a variety of disciplines, including public policy, social work, communication, education, social justice, social activism, and organizational development. The Coalition was a result of the first National Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation, held near Washington, DC in October 2002.
NCDD is an educational organization and a Community of Practice. Communities of practice are formed by people who engage in a process of collective learning in a shared domain or topic area. In other words, communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.
Our members make up the core of our community of practice. As of January 2021, the Coalition’s membership has grown to include 700 organizations and individuals. Our website visitors, social media group members, conference attendees, and over
28,000 newsletter subscribers are also part of this ever-growing community of practice.
This article is a comprehensive strategic framework for nonviolent revolution, combining historical case studies, practical organizing guidance, and theoretical insights about movement building.
A Strategic Framework Describing The Eight Stages of Successful Social Movements
by Bill Moyer
Publisher: History Is A Weapon
Recommended by: BruceR
Within a few years after achieving the goals of “take-off”, every major social movement of the past twenty years has undergone a significant collapse, in which activists believed that their movements had failed, the power institutions were too powerful, and their own efforts were futile. This has happened even when movements were actually progressing reasonably well along the normal path taken by past successful movements!
The Movement Action Plan (MAP) was first published as the Fall 1986 edition of the Dandelion. Twelve-thousand copies were published and distributed. This is a revised edition of that article. People are invited to participate in the continuing development of MAP and help spread it to local groups.
