Democracy Out Loud #429.1:This week

Things to know about - and spread the word.

At the April 19 protests all over the country, millions of peaceful people once again showed up with clever, wonderful signs and cheerfully engaged in rallies and marches. The resistance is strong. Now we will begin gearing up for May 1, but in the meantime a few important things are happening this week.

Thursday April 24: The People’s Town Hall in Representative Richard Hudson’s district (R-9), in Chatham County, will feature Representative Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Senator Chris Murphy (CT), and the Chair of the NC Democratic Party, Anderson Clayton. “We're holding a town hall in Hudson's district because Richard won't tell us where the heck he is and what the heck he's doing to fix the mess his party is making.” You can get more information and register at this link.

Friday April 25: Indivisible Johnson County is collaborating with two veterans’ organizations to produce an empty chair town hall in Representative Brad Knott’s district (R-13). This is thrilling because this is a gerrymandered district and we have been hoping someone would plan a town hall in his district for quite a while now. You can RSVP at this link.

Several people sent, “What Real Resistance Looks Like,” an instruction to DNC leadership which is going viral. You can read it in the Daily Kos.

If you are not already reading Heather Cox Richardson’s Substack (most of us are), I highly recommend it. Today is especially good.

The May 1 protests will be huge. Rallies and marches in solidarity with workers will be held all over the world. In North Carolina, check out Winston-Salem and, of course, Raleigh (RSVP at this link) at 4 pm and Durham (RSVP here) at 2 pm. I will be watching for what is happening in other places and let you know.

Other things to do this week:
Complete the survey from Senator Thom Tillis. It just takes a minute and it goes directly to his office.

Read NC Senator Craig Meyer’s newsletter, “What the hell is wrong with the Democrats?”

Call every elected Representative and Senator who represents you, on both the state and federal level. Find out who that is, if you don’t already know, at this link.

Read (and subscribe to) Durham Dems Action; it is packed with great information.

Demand a moral budget! The Poor People’s Campaign is coordinating calls to Congress and educating us about how bad the proposed budget plans are. See more at this link.

(Below, Raleigh NC, April 19, 2025, photo by Jenny Warburg used by permission)

Everyone is invited to our zoom meeting every Tuesday from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. “Doors open” at 11 am; please come early if you are new so we can welcome you. Everyone is also invited to our guided 7 homecomings meditation every Thursday at 10 am. If you need the zoom link, write to Jewel at DemocracyOutLoud@gmail.com, telling her a bit about yourself.

There are so many ways to show up now, and so many ways to build community and resilience. May we all find our work and do it, and may we feel how deeply we are connected to one another and to something greater than ourselves.

love, Karen

“The tools employed by the Trump administration to advance its fascist regime are based in the erosion of constitutional rights that we all have consented to. The American people allowed the government to build Orwellian state apparatuses to persecute brown people in the name of national security, and it is only a matter of time until the Trump administration turns that power against the nation.” - “Trump and Musk are Building an AI Surveillance State. This Doesn’t End Well.” Substack, KeepTrack, April 16, 2025

“This is what joy feels like. Tuned out to tune in. All that I cannot control dismissed to rising sun, spring bloom and bird song. There are too few days left, whatever life we have in years remaining, to deprive ourselves. A singular daily saunter in nano-rebellion to declare my independence is all I require. I pledge allegiance to The Ecology and all the Wild there is, and to the kindred spirits who understand, hearts united in a state of wonder, with shared plight of same air, same water, same soil, same earth, same fate, between all beings declared. That better tomorrow than today is my earnest concern, bird by bird, person to person. I proclaim with this pledge joy as my justice, and awe, inalienable right.” - J. Drew Lanham (South Carolina Black ornithologist and poet - thanks, Karen B)

“I appeal to all those in positions of political responsibility in our world not to yield to the logic of fear which only leads to isolation from others, but rather to use the resources available to help the needy, to fight hunger and to encourage initiatives that promote development. These are the ‘weapons’ of peace: weapons that build the future, instead of sowing seeds of death!” - Pope Francis, Easter sermon, 4/20/2025