John,

Over 4 million Americans have shown up to multiple Hands Off Rallies in small towns to cities in all 50 states. This is what democracy looks like!

I’ve had the opportunity to go to protests in my district and in Washington DC, and coming together with everyday people has given me hope that we can defeat fascism and the presidential administration’s cruel and lawless actions.

We need more people getting involved right now, whether it’s in the streets or caring for our neighbors through mutual aid.

Trump’s tariffs are already impacting ports and trucking, and could affect store shelves. Trump’s USDA has also cancelled crucial deliveries to food banks, with Michigan food banks losing $4.3 million worth of emergency food—about 2 million meals.

Our communities will be more in need with domino effects to come as people have to start paying student loans again and we face cuts to food banks, school meals, and so many social safety net programs. Part of how we collectively resist is by helping our neighbors and preparing our communities for what’s to come.  

Here are some things you can do as an individual to defend our communities from right-wing attacks:

• Volunteer at and donate to local food banks. (You can find many by entering your zip code on Feeding America’s website.)

• Go to a demonstration or a training near you.

• “Work your backyard”: Connect with your neighbors and loved ones, and invite them to attend a protest, training, or meeting.

• Join and support community-based organizations or local mutual aid groups.

• Join your local Democratic club, or your local Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) chapter, or your state or local Working Families Party (click “filters” at the top of this page to search events by location).

• Join national organizations taking direct action like https://moveon.org or https://indivisible.org/.

• Find and share resources from the National Lawyers Guild’s mass defense program or connect with your closest NLG chapter to learn about trainings and how to get involved in protecting protesters’ rights.

• Find and share resources for activism from https://beautifultrouble.org/.

My team and I recently held a packed town hall, training over 300 of our district’s residents on how to advocate for our communities and for the federal programs that families need in order to thrive.

We brought community organizers from groups like the Detroit and Michigan Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild:

And Michigan United Action:

We heard back from town hall attendees that it gave them hope to learn about what local groups are doing and about how people-led grassroots movements have successfully mobilized to move the government and powerful institutions.

The fascists want us to be afraid and isolated. But we have power, especially when we come together.

With you in the fight against fascism and the fight for a better future,

Rashida