The Western Mass Resistance Calendar and Supplemental Reading List
Toronto, November 19, 2024. Photo: Shutterstock
Welcome to the Western Mass Resistance Calendar for the week of 6/28, a listing of resistance actions to Trump-Musk and a resource for pro-democracy actions throughout Western Massachusetts. We have added some additional blogs and listserves that link readers to virtual resistance efforts as well as to organizations lobbying elected officials. Please send your listings for the calendar for future actions, organizational meetings and trainings to amherstindy@gmail.com. This resource is in addition to our occasional column What Now? that explores resistance strategies.
Local Direct Action
SATURDAY, June 28: Stop Trump’s War on Women. Noon- 2 p.m. Springfield (rsvp to get the location). This year we are seeing the implementation of Project 2025’s regressive, white, Christian patriarchy which targets women. Indivisibles are sounding the alarm across Massachusetts about attacks on our rights and freedoms from voting to bodily autonomy.Our visibility event will join 20+ rallies across Massachusetts to stop the War on Women! RSVP here for event location and more information. Sponsored by Indivisible.
SATURDAY June 28. Overpass Standout in Greenfield. 9-10 a.m. I -91 Overpass at Leyden Road and Conway Road, Greenfield. More information.
FRIDAY JULY 4: Apartheid Free Western Massachusetts, Join the Community. Please join us July 4th at Groff Park pavilion in Amherst, MA from 1-4pm to build comradery, socialize, recap actions that members of the community have accomplished, learn about ways we can further support each of our efforts, and hopefully we can hear from some of the area businesses who signed up! Find out ways you can get involved. AFWM can do so much more and we can’t wait to share some ideas about incorporating immigrant solidarity or Divestment into our activities in the form of resolutions or ordinances. Let’s envision the future we must achieve. Please bring a potluck dish to share and note that the park is great for kids-playground, stream, large area for frisbee or games and a splash pad. RSVP not required but helpful to let us know if you will be joining us. Looking forward to getting us all together in solidarity to dismantle apartheid, oppression, and division in our own communities and in Palestine.
TUESDAY July 7 (and every Tuesday): Easthampton Standout for Palestine. Easthampton for Ceasefire will hold weekly standouts in support of Palestine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Join them EVERY TUESDAY 5 pm – 6 pm at the pond. Bring signs, banners, flags, and friends! Kids and families are welcome and encouraged to participate. For more information email easthampton4ceasefireresources@gmail.com. Hope to see you there!
TUESDAY July 7: Standout at I-91 Overpass in Hatfield. 3:30-5:00 p.m. 12 Mountain Drive Hatfield. Come out to show that ordinary people can raise their voices against the chaos and destruction of this Administration. Help remind folks that they, too, can stand up for their beliefs – and that there’s lots and lots of people who aren’t on board with the “cruelty as entertainment” behavior of Trump and Musk and the GOP. We’ll have letterboards prepared with the message on the photo above. See The Visibility Brigade Toolkit (https://tinyurl.com/TheVisibilityBrigade)! Come when you can, and leave when you must. You needn’t be present for the entire 2-hour stand-out. Once we are set up, our main job is to wave at cars and dance to the honks! More information.
TUESDAY July 7: Standout at I-91 Overpass Holyoke. 9 Mt. Park Rd. 4:00-5:30 p.m. Come out to show that ordinary people can raise their voices against the chaos and destruction of this Administration. Help remind folks that they, too, can stand up for their beliefs – and that there’s lots and lots of people who aren’t on board with the “cruelty as entertainment” behavior of Trump and Musk and the GOP. More information.
WEDNESDAY July 8 (and every Wednesday). Early Birds for Gaza. Standout at L3Harris in Northampton. Greet L3Harris employees with a peace message – No More Weapons to Israel – Convert to Peace Work”Come down and join us! Hosted by Demilitarize Western Mass. The idea is to have a regular space where we can gather, let L3 know we’re not going anywhere, and experiment with different tactics and approaches! Newcomers and new ideas welcome.
FRIDAY July 10 (and every Friday): HANDS OFF OUR LIVES! Peaceful Visibility Standout, 4 pm – 5:30 p.m., Kendrick Park, Amherst: https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/778646/
FRIDAY July 10 (and every Friday): Northampton Standout For an Arms Embargo. Noon- 1 p.m. Northampton City Hall, 210 Main Street.
FRIDAY July 10 (and every Friday): Jewish Voice for Peace Weekly Northampton Standout. 4:30-5:30 p.m. at the Route 9 roundabout at the Northampton side of the Coolidge Bridge. Join us in demanding a ceasefire & arms embargo. Signs & banners provided. Park at the Norwottuck Rail Trail, 446 Damon Rd. Click here for access info.
SUNDAY JULY 17: Nationwide “Good Trouble Lives On”. Protests are scheduled that day to honor the fifth anniversary of the passing of Civil Rights icon John Lewis, who coined the term “good trouble.” More information here. Stay tuned for local actions.
THURSDAY, July 24. Overpasses for Democracy. Overpasses for Democracy event will be held 4:00 – 5:30 p.m on 18 overpasses from Longmeadow, Massachusetts to Newbury Vermont on the fourth Thursdsy of every month. Click here for an interactive map of all of the locations. Look here for more information.
ONGOING: Tesla Takedowns: Elon Musk is destroying democracy around the world, and he’s using the fortune he built at Tesla to do it. We are taking action at Tesla to stop Musk’s illegal coup. Tesla Takedown is a peaceful protest movement. We oppose violence, vandalism and destruction of property. This protest is a lawful exercise of our First Amendment right to peaceful assembly. In the valley – Tesla Takedowns have been held at the Tesla charging facility at the Pride Station on the Hadley side of the Coolidge Bridge. Find a listing of Tesla Takedown
actions here.
ACTIVE BOYCOTTS: Boycotts can be a powerful tool to make companies stop doing bad things. Perhaps you’ve seen dozens of boycotts across your social media feed. Look up what boycotts are happening now and who is organizing them rated by Choose Democracy’s criteria of what makes a boycott effective.
TRAININGS AND WORKSHOPS
Thursday July 14. Third Act’s Media Outreach Training. Sharing Your Story in the Public Square with Bill McKibben and renowned public relations expert David Fenton. Explore how you can craft effective narratives and messages that will help you feel comfortable talking with members of the press. You’ll meet new people and learn some practical tips, tools, and skills for media outreach. On line. 6 p.m. EDT. More information and register here.
Other Listings and Calendars
Comprehensive WMASS Actions/ Events Calendar by Indivisible
Rise Up Western Mass Facebook (with postings of upcoming events)
Western Mass Showing Up for Racial Justice (WMSURJ)
413 Staying Connected
Regular Standouts for Palestine Calendar
Virtual Dissent
K Starling, at We The People Dissent, has started a listing of virtual , ADA accessible and at home ways to dissent. Check out her first listing for virtual events here.
Take on The Lawyers Whose Firms Caved to Trump
(from Jess Craven – Chop Wood Carry Water) Rachel Cohen, the lawyer who left her law firm over its decision to comply with the Trump administration, has created a fantastic action to hold the law firms that are caving to Trump accountable. The idea is to send emails to organizations where these lawyers sit on the boards and ask them to remove those lawyers from their board. This creates specific individual consequences for the lawyers who decided to cave. She’s created a tool kit that allows you to send emails automatically, by clicking on a link—this will work for everyone EXCEPT for those with VPNs. If it doesn’t work for you she also provides all of the letters as separate docs so you can copy and paste them into an email or print them. (Here’s a link to her TikTok about this action, although I know you’re not all on TikTok. It doesn’t seem to be on any other platforms.)I sent about twenty emails this morning. It’s addictive! Just make sure you proofread the first paragraph and add your name at the end!
Every Sunday: Massachusetts Rapid Response for Our Freedoms: Virtual 6:30 pm. – 7:30 p.m. To mobilize and activate a network of people ready to take immediate, strategic action to defend our rights, freedoms, the rule of law, and democracy.-To educate and inform participants about current authoritarian threats, legal overreach, and coordinated attacks on our freedoms.-To share concrete tools, tactics, and next steps that individuals and groups can take in their communities to push back.-To build a connected movement rooted in collective power, solidarity, and a shared vision of justice and equality for all—not just the wealthy, powerful, or those with privilege. Register and more information.
Lobbying Your Elected Representatives
The Western Mass Resistance Calendar Focuses on Direct Action. But there are many folks out there who are organizing for lobbying Congress to act to prevent a long list of specific atrocities and there are numerous blogs and list-serves that offer weekly actions that you take in response to the most pressing issues. Usually provided are addresses, phone numbers, and scripts that you can use to exhort your reps into action. If you are looking for an action that you can take in 15 minutes, you can find all sorts of suggestions on these lists. Many of these lists also contain weekly summary’s of wins or good news from the resistance -reminding readers that resistance is not futile. Here is a sample of places to check out.
Things you can do to help defeat Trump’s “Murder Budget”
Rogan’s List
American’s of Conscience Checklist (also provides a listing of GOOD NEWS from the previous week)
Chop Wood, Carry Water
5Calls.org
Resistbot
Third Act (focusing on actions by seniors)
Postering
You can resist on your block, at your library, or at your gym. Consider printing and posting resistance messages. It can be a sticker, printed art, or homemade posters. HERE is information on how to get started.
Good Reads
The State We Are In: Tracking the Atrocities
The assaults on the rule of law and on well-established civil rights have been coming so quickly that it’s hard to absorb how dramatic the changes to our society have been. I have been following five blogs that help me to track the proliferating atrocities and to help direct me toward the malfeasance that is most consequential.
Letters from an American by Heather Cox Richardson – Richardson, an historian, offers her daily dissection of (usually) a single Trump Administration atrocity and then places it in the context of American history. Each day offers a compelling read that includes citations. Read the blog or subscribe here.
Today’s Edition Newsletter by Robert Hubble. Hubble offers a daily summary of the worst of Trump/Musk from the previous day and then reports on what folks are doing to resist Trump’s edicts and actions. Read past editions here.
The Daily Briefing by Rick Seltzer. This blog provides a daily rundown of Trump’s assault on Higher Education – providing the most comprehensive tracking of Trump’s war on universities that I have found. This one is behind a paywall but if you’re concerned with where Trump’s attacks on education are going and where the resistance is forming in higher education, this is the place to stay on top of those issues. The blog is a feature of the Chronicle of Higher Education and can be found here
Democracy Docket: Tracking the Legal Fight Against Trump. A great blog for keeping tabs on where Trump’s actions are being challenged in the courts. Read a sample or subscribe here.
Organizing My Thoughts by Kelly Hayes, the blog of writer, organizer, and Truth Out editor. Features interviews with other organizers, tips on self-care and staying sane and brave through the crisis, and a monthly, must-read reading list, reviewing the major atrocities emanating mostly from, but not limited to Washington. Read her posts here.
And here’s an article by Kelley Hayes that sums up where we are at the moment.
Fascism Isn’t Coming: It’s Here Now. Now What? by Kelley Hayes (4/17/25). We’re not just contending with right-wing movements. We’re talking about movements that have reached one of their goals, which is to take over the government,” says organizer and grassroots strategist Ejeris Dixon. In this episode of “Movement Memos,” Dixon and host Kelly Hayes discuss fascism, coalition building, and the compassion and shared knowledge we need to create safety and justice in these times. (Truthout)
Resistance Is Everywhere
American Spring? How Nonviolent Protest is Accelerating in the US by Erica Chenoweth, Soha Hammam, Jeremy Pressman, and Christopher Wiley Shay (Waging Nonviolence). Contrary to conventional wisdom, the size and scale of anti-Trump protests this year have dwarfed those in 2017, and they have been extraordinarily peaceful.
56 Small Tasks to Be Proactive Against Book Censorship in 2025. by Kelly Jensen. (Book Censorship News). It is a myth that book bans increase book sales and “help” an author whose work has been targeted. It is also a myth that book bans encourage young people to get their hands on the banned title. The reality is what’s at stake are our public institutions of democracy: public libraries and public schools. Also at stake are the lives of whole groups of people whose stories are being silenced, erased, and burned nationwide by a small, vocal, wealthy, and well-connected contingent of far-right politicians and Christian nationalists (sometimes those groups are one and the same).
When You Feel Hopeless, Read This. The Resistance is Speading in Towns and Cities Alike. by K. Starling. (We The People Dissent). Not only do I catalogue the protests, but I record their numbers and document their stories. CNN, NBC, and NPR are not telling the whole story, not necessarily due to bias or censorship. Unless you spend hours every week recording protests and listening to people, you’ll miss it—the hope.
What to Do if the Insurrection Act is Invoked by Daniel Hunter (Waging Nonviolence).With the Insurrection Act looming, now is the time to learn how it might unfold and the strategic ways to respond — including the power of ridicule.
The Creative Playbook Behind Turkey’s Mass Protests by Ela Buruk (Waging Non-Violence). In late March 2025, Turkey was rocked by its largest protests in a decade after Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu — a leading rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan — was detained on corruption and terrorism charges. Outrage over his jailing and the subsequent closure of city services (such as metro and bus lines) under a protest ban quickly spilled into the streets. Yet alongside anger and defiance, an unexpected element emerged: humor and creative spectacle.
How to Fight Fascism in a Captured State by Kelly Hayes and Shane Burley. (Podcast Transcript from Truthout). We need to think deeply about cultivating that mindset of collective survival, of needing to understand each other and work together, even if we don’t like each other, and would never actually choose each other, because this is the ‘us’ we’ve got in an us versus them situation
The Anti-Authoritarian Play Book: What to Do Now. by Scott Nakagawa (blog The Anti-authoritarian Play Book). Now is the time to build stronger and deeper pro-democracy coalitions that are educated about what’s at stake and prepared to act together. The most effective approach involves forming broad coalitions across civic groups, advocacy organizations, business interests, and faith communities before a crisis hits, like a constitutional crisis, an escalation in immigration enforcement, widespread targeting of opposition leaders, crackdowns on civil society organizations, and other moves. These networks are most powerful when they transcend traditional political divides, bringing together diverse stakeholders united by their commitment to democratic principles rather than specific policy positions.
Divest Public Dollars from Elon Musk: A How to Guide by teslatakedown.com. Cities & states opposed to Musk’s illegal takeover of the federal government invest trillions of dollars in the stock market through city pension systems. Some cities purchase vehicle fleets from Tesla, and others hold contracts with Musk’s businesses. As Musk’s brutal and unnecessary cuts are ravaging state and local budgets, local governments that care about democracy should not be giving Elon Musk money by investing in his companies.
Be There, Be Counted. An Inventory of Community Actions in 2025. by K. Starling (5/1/25). A(mostly) complete list of (almost) every protest across the country. (We The People Dissent /Substack)
Fighting Elon Musk One Tesla Dealership at a Time by Sarah Larson (3/30/25). “It’s ironic that, as a pro-democracy and pro-climate group, we’re protesting against electric cars,” one activist said. “But you cannot sacrifice our democracy for one piece of the thing.” (The New Yorker)
The People’s Toolkit by Women’s March. Don’t just watch from the sidelines – join a community ready to take action. This power-packed toolkit developed by organizations behind the 2025 People’s March will connect you directly to movements making change on the issues you care about most. We’ve gathered concrete actions and individual demands from grassroots partners across the movement. Whether you’re passionate about voting rights, gender equity, or economic justice – there’s a clear path to make an impact.
17 Ways to Disprupt the Status Quo in Your Hometown by K. Starling (4/21/25). Whether you live in a sea of blue or are a blue dot in a red county, any one of us can dissent from our hometown. Here are 17 ways you can disrupt the status quo and make an impact in your town. And don’t forget—invite others to amplify your impact. (We The People Dissent / Substack).
How to Protest Safely by Courtney Lindwall (10/26/22). We must bear in mind that protesting in person is a privilege that not everyone shares. Some cannot chance gathering in groups due to health vulnerabilities. Some cannot afford run-ins with police due to their immigration status, family responsibilities, or job. And protesting remains uniquely dangerous for people of color—especially Black people—who continue to face intentional targeting and violence at the hands of police. For those who are willing and able to show up and speak out, here is your guide to protesting safely and effectively. (NRDC.org)
What Would a General Strike in the US Actually Look Like by Jeremy Brecher (4/8/25). Calls for a general strike in the US are growing. It’s important to understand how to organize one, given their key role in overcoming tyrants around the world. (Waging Nonviolence)W
Mutual Aid in the Age of Fascism by Judith Levine (4/10/25). As people are being deputized to do violence, building connections is political resistance. (Boston Review)
How Civil Resistance Can Topple A Dictator by Erica Chenoweth ((2/1/25). It may only take 3.5% of the population to topple a dictator – with civil resistance. (Portside / The Guardian)
Resistance is Alive and Well in the United States by Erica Chenoweth, Jeremy Pressman, and Soha Hammam (3/19/25). Protests of Trump may not look like the mass marches of 2017, but research shows they are far more numerous and frequent — while also shifting to more powerful forms of resistance. (Waging Non-Violence)
So You Want to Be a Dissident: A Practical Guide for Courage in Trump’s Age of Fear by Julia Angwin and Amy Fields-Meyer (4/12/25). Sometime in the past two months the United States crossed into a new and unfamiliar realm—one in which the consequences of challenging the state seem to increasingly carry real danger. The sitting President, elected on an explicit platform of revenge against his political enemies, entered office by instituting loyalty tests, banning words, purging civil servants, and installing an F.B.I. director who made his name promising to punish his boss’s critics.Retribution soon followed. (The New Yorker)