Democracy Out Loud #431.1:The Big Picture

We are at a tipping point, and we are bending the arc of history.

It is entirely possible that the unspeakable carnage in Gaza and the widespread corruption and lawlessness of the US administration are waking people up to what we are up against, and who we are. Throughout human history, there have been people who were connected to the earth, to joy, and to each other, and they have always been up against formidable violence and dominance. Indigenous people throughout history have seen their land, people, and culture destroyed to make way for the cruel and increasingly unsustainable forces of greed and delusion.

Now we are in the apocalypse, a time of revealing, unveiling, and we are seeing the truth about systems of violence. Increasing numbers of us are becoming grounded in life-giving and sustainable ways of thinking and acting.

Today we have ethnic cleansing right before our eyes, paid for by our own military budget. We have laws being passed on the state and federal level eliminating the very concepts of equality, diversity, and inclusion - laws which intend to erase all but straight white men from history and (to one extent or another) public life. (See the Federal Government’s Growing List of Banned Words.). The human rights and even existence of trans people, women, Black people, undocumented people, and others are endangered. (See the list of 381 books just removed from the US Naval Academy Library.)

We are fighting back in many ways, and it is important to remember that love really is more powerful than fear, and that truth will always prevail over lies and delusion. Joy is resistance, sometimes rest is resistance, and community is the antidote to fascism. This is why I have so much hope right now.

(Below, New York City lawyers 5/2/2025); photo by Jenny Warburg, used by permission)

NC HB 171, Elimination of DEI from State Agencies, passed the House last week, but not without a packed gallery and a strong fight by the Democratic Representatives. As Bishop Barber pointed out years ago, the North Carolina General Assembly is an “illegitimate assembly,” in which the GOP has the majority only because of years of voter suppression, election manipulation, and gerrymandering.

Meanwhile this illegitimate NCGA continues to mimic the actions of the Trump administration (cryptocurrency, “Parents’ rights” for all parents except the parents of trans kids, disastrous tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, book banning, power grabs, outlawing basic human income, defunding public schools, and so much more). Mark Swallow leads a Legislative Response Team which tracks and researches these bills and shows up at committee hearings. If you would like to join that group, email Mark at DemocracyOutLoud@gmail.com.

The next really large national protest will probably be Saturday, June 14, inspired by Trump’s proposed military parade in DC.

The Mayday protests were wonderful, once again. Deep gratitude to the organizers.

(below, New York City 5/1/2026, photo by Jenny Warburg used by permission)

Everyone is welcome to join us on Tuesday from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm for our weekly zoom meeting (“doors open” at 11 am; come early if you are new so we can welcome you). If you need the zoom link for this or for our guided meditation on Thursday at 10 am, email Jewel at DemocracyOutLoud@gmail.com telling her just a bit about yourself.

Bishop Barber continues “Moral Mondays at the Capitol” in Washington DC. You can get more information at this link, and watch the livestream here at 11 am. He is focused on the proposed budget, which would inflate our already overblown military budget by 10% while cutting vital services like Medicaid. The most important phone calls we can make this week are to our Senators and Representatives to let them know what we think about that. Pressure works. Call about cuts to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), which would take food away from people who are already food insecure (1,415,600 people in North Carolina alone).

Below, from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; link to interactive map.

Social security is also on the chopping block, from many directions including the new block on student loan debt relief and changes in policy. Rev. Barber frequently reminds us that a budget is a moral document. This one is frankly evil.

I’m not going to try to detail all of the great local opportunities to take action this week, because they have been thoroughly covered elsewhere. Check out Mary Jenne’s excellent newsletter for Triangle WILPF (Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom) for this week and Bull City Indivisible’s Substack. You can scroll all the way down to the end of this newsletter for Indivisible’s suggested actions this week.

Things are shifting, everywhere all at once. If you feel your own energy or interests shifting, stay open. Maybe you are being called to lean into things that will help you bring your joy and light into the world, or to do new work which is challenging but needed. The truth is when our intention is kindness and freedom, we help bend the arc of history with everything we do, say, and think. We are all needed right now and collectively, we’ve got this.

love, Karen

Americans could lose their health care because Trump has told Congress to cut $880 billion from Medicaid. Why? To give bigger tax cuts to the wealthiest in this country who don’t need them. If that doesn’t motivate you, I question the strength of your love.” - Senator Corey Booker

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” - Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 6:12

Your weekly to-dos

1. Join a virtual phone bank on May 15 to call North Carolina voters about opposing the GOP reconciliation plan! Senator Thom Tillis will be one of the nation's most vulnerable Republicans in the 2026 midterms, so we’re urging NC voters to turn the temperature up on Tillis as we fight Trump’s Tax Scam. The virtual phone bank is open to volunteers nationwide via Scale To Win and includes training for those who need it.

2. Email your Members of Congress about bringing Kilmar Abrego Garcia home. If Trump is allowed to openly defy a court order, no rights are safe. We’re demanding that leaders in both parties use every tool at their disposal to ensure Abrego Garcia is freed and returned to America.

3. If you have a GOP representative, send an email to get them on the record about plans to defund SNAP and Medicaid. Republicans don’t want us talking about Trump’s reconciliation plan because they know it screws working people to pay for billionaires’ tax breaks. We need to get them on the record and hold them accountable. You can also click here to CALL their office during business hours.

4. Join this Thursday’s “What’s the Plan” call (3pm ET / 12pm PT) to hear about a MASSIVE new day of action coming in June. Each Thursday, our co-founders Leah and Ezra jump online to break down the news, draw inspiration from Indivisibles’ work, and lay out what’s next for the movement. This week, they’ll have big news about our next big mobilization.

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