The Western Mass Resistance Calendar and Supplemental Reading List

Welcome to the Western Mass Resistance Calendar, a listing resistance to Trump-Musk and pro-democracy actions throughout Western Massachusetts. This week we have added a separate section listing trainings for resistance and political action. Please send your listings for the calendar to amherstindy@gmail.com. This resource is in addition to our occasional column What Now? that explores resistance strategies.

SATURDAY MAY 3: March with People’s Pride in the Hampshire Pride Parade 10 a.m. gather at Sheldon Field, Northampton, march at 11am. Join the Democratic Socialists of American Pride Contingent with your Palestine flags, anti-capitalist messages, noisemakers, and revolutionary queer energy! 

SATURDAY MAY 3 in SOUTH HADLEY : May Day! May Day!: South Hadley Stands up for Democracy on the National Day of Action. 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. South Hadley Town Commons Across the street from US Post Office. Join us in South Hadley to stand united for our democracy against Trump, Musk, and billionaire profiteers. They’re defunding our schools, privatizing public services, slashing important programs and funds, attacking our rights, and targeting immigrant families with fear and violence. This is a war on working people—and we will not stand down. We want a future that works for us. Our union has always been a work in progress, but when faced with threats, our democratic values have prevailed. Let us not be the generation that fails to stand up for our cherished democracy.We are the many. They are the few. Join the fight. More information

SATURDAY MAY 3: Greenfield for a Ceasefire 11am-noon, On the green by Court Square, 

TUESDAY MAY 6 (and every Tuesday) – in Amherst. Stand out for Peace and Racial Justice (and immigrant justice, climate justice, etc.) . 4:00-4:30 P.M. Main Street and South Pleasant Street in front of the bank. Bringing positive action in troubling times.

WEDNESDAY MAY 7 in EASTHAMPTON: Standout for Palestine at the Pond. Easthampton for Ceasefire is back with a standout in support of Palestine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Join us on Tuesday, May 7th, from 4:30 pm – 6:00 p.m. at the corner of the Pond. Bring signs, banners, flags, and friends! Kids and families are welcome and encouraged to participate. This will be the first of many events by this group as we enter the next phase of our work. JVP Western Mass supports this event!

FRIDAY May 9 (and every Friday): HANDS OFF OUR STUDENTS! Peaceful Visibility Standout, 4 pm – 5:30 p.m., Kendrick Park, Amherst: https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/778646/

FRIDAY MAY 9 (and every Friday): Jewish Voice for Peace Weekly Northampton Standout. 4:00-5:30 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.

FRIDAY MAY 9 (and every Friday) in South Deerfield, MA:  Good Trouble Democracy Brigade Standout
Location: Route 116 and Sugarloaf St. 3-4 p.m.

SATURDAY MAY 10: Greenfield for a Ceasefire 11am-noon, On the green by Court Square in Greenfield.

TUESDAY MAY 13 (and every Tuesday) – in Amherst. Stand out for Peace and Racial Justice (and immigrant justice, climate justice, etc.) – in Amherst. 4:00-4:30 P.M. Main Street and South Pleasant Street in front of the bank. Bringing positive action in troubling times.

FRIDAY May 16 (and every Friday): HANDS OFF OUR STUDENTS! Peaceful Visibility Standout, 4 pm – 5:30 p.m., Kendrick Park, Amherst: https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/778646/

FRIDAY MAY 16: (and every Friday): Jewish Voice for Peace Weekly Northampton Standout. 4:00-5:30 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.

FRIDAY MAY 16 (and every Friday) in South Deerfield, MA:  Good Trouble Democracy Brigade Standout
Location: Route 116 and Sugarloaf St 3-4 p.m.

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.

TRAININGS AND WORKSHOPS

FRIDAY MAY 9: No Kings Then or Now: H. Cox Richardson, MA AG Andrea Campbell, US Rep Jamie Raskin Virtual Event. 4-5:30 p.m. We will focus on strategies and pragmatic actions we can take to stop the destruction of our democracy. Together, we will answer the question: What CAN and MUST we all do to win this fight. Register here.

WEDNESDAY MAY 14: KNOW YOUR RIGHTS TRAINING ON THE SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE.
5-7 p.m. Bangs Community Center, Room 101, 70 Boltwood Walk. The Amherst Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is hosting a workshop about the school to prison pipeline led by Citizens for Juvenile Justice. This educational event is part of a Know Your Rights Training series open to student in grades 6 to 12. Pizza and snacks will be provided. 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

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 four blogs that help me to track the proliefating 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 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 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 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.

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
Divest Public Dollars from Elon Musk: A How to Guide by teslatakedown.com.

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)