Including one free resource to help plan your resistance.
Welcome to Ash Wednesday.
It wasn’t on purpose, but I wrote this entry on the 40th day following the presidential inauguration. Apropos to the Lent rituals that follow Christ’s 40-day desert temptation leading up to Easter. 40 days since inauguration. 40 days in the desert.
It’s odd and out of place for a Canadian to make note of a US presidential inauguration. At any other moment in history it wouldn’t fit. But in this moment, March 2025, nearly every facet of life from neighborhood, city, to nations, are being overwhelmed with orchestrated chaos thanks to Republican and right-wing politicians. The goal is to produce unnecessary wave after wave of policy and program upheaval, including dismantling essential programs and services marginalized folks rely on, in order to enrich the already wealthy. The erosion of our democracy–our social fabric–is happening before our eyes. The word overwhelm barely begins to cover it.
I don’t know how many predicted the magnitude of outright chaos we’d experience, but we’re in it now and we must formulate a response. That’s why building a PLAN for RESISTANCE is paramount to survive the next few months–or rather years.
Some of you already know resistance because it’s in your bones. I don’t think that’s necessarily a good thing, rather it’s the necessary reality folks pushed to the margins understand. In the ideal world, liberation and freedom would be available in full to all, and resistance or resilience would be unnecessary. Sounds nice. But that’s not this day or this age.
Other folks don’t have established experience engaging in movements of resistance. You’re wondering, where should I start? Well I’ve got you. I’ve created a short resource you can download and use as you see fit. I call it the Resistance Planner. Nothing fancy, just a mechanism to help catalyze strategic participation in various forms of resistance. Download it at your leisure, it’s free. Fill it out with some friends while you’re at it.
Resistance Vision Board A4 Document; PNG version.
Here’s how it works….
Folks thinking about resistance are usually already resisting. When I did this exercise with A Beautiful Table (my church community), everyone had at least one thing they were already engaged in. Oftentimes we forget that the small forms of resistance count. That’s what the first box is for. “Affirm where you’re already resisting.” Jot down the things you’re doing. (If you run out of room you may want to consider if you have too much going on. More on that in a minute….)
Follow the arrow for the next section: the Key Relationships box. This is a critical component in resistance movements: relationships. (BTW, I’m using the word movement to denote any shift that leads to positive change, and not movements on a massive scale, although those are cool too.) Start naming key relationships/groups/people/organizations engaged in the same things you’re doing. This is the strategic part. Name the existing/old/new connections. You might already have clarity here, and that’s a good thing.
To repeat, resistance needs community to mobilize, strategize, resource, and to build longevity to stick around long enough to see critical change happen. Next up….
The center box is for you. Check-in with yourself and determine how many spoons you have to engage in the work. This can change daily. Being attuned to your body to know your limits is crucial or you might stretch yourself thin.
Now, assuming you have room for more, (one cause/action may be all you have room for and that’s OK!), proceed to the second half of the page and the Discover new ways to resist section.
Particularly useful for folks just getting started in their resistance journey, I invite you to brainstorm new ways to resist. My suggestion is to consider places/topics of interest that are a) LOCAL to you; and b) BEYOND you. LOCAL means neighborhood or city specific issues you can plug into. It might be participating in food access programs, getting connected politically, or a local civic group. BEYOND are issues that are national or international. For example, #landback initiatives; peace in Gaza, Ukraine, Yeman, Congo; federal voter initiatives, etc. Consider your interests, existing relationships, or issues that directly impact you as places to start brainstorming avenues to resist.
Both columns once again include KEY RELATIONSHIPS just like the first half. Find old or new friends that are doing the same and join them. Collaborate with existing organizations or groups. Don’t start something new. It’s extremely rare that a cause or injustice requires brand new engagement. (Although I will name that due to the massive political upheaval many are facing, the reality is you may have to mobilize quickly to address brand new problems. For example, in my province (Alberta) there is both a massive billion dollar healthcare scandal where the provincial conservatives personally enriched their donors with exclusive contracts. That’s new. The same government also refuses to pay educational assistants in classrooms, EAs who provide support for disabled students. They have gone on strike and as such all disabled students who require supports have been barred from attending class. That’s new and local. Both require immediate mobilization.)
That’s it. Let me know if you found this useful. Also, I hope you will give yourself a high-five cause most of you are already doing so much. Receive those affirmations that you’re up to no good (the good kind of ‘no good’).
I hope this Lent season (and beyond) will open new doors for relationships that will bind together to turn wrongs in our world right. May it be so!
P.S. Sign up for the Lent Reader, I’ll have weekly (maybe a bit more) reflections for this season of RESISTANCE!