Want to fight fascism but life keeps getting in the way? This will help
10 minutes You know those things you want to do to help save democracy, but somehow they never bubble to the top of your to-do list?
For example, maybe you want to apply to serve as an election worker, find an independent journalist to follow and support, or organize a few neighbors to go to the next rally together on July 17.
Or maybe you’re not sure what to do, but you want to do something about an issue that makes your blood boil—our immigrant neighbors getting disappeared, our public lands being sold for profit and losing all environmental protections, book bans taking a lifeline away from kids who need to know they’re not alone—or something else. ❤️
But you haven’t made it happen yet…because life.
Our country is in crisis, but we still have all our regular daily responsibilities, like getting our paid work done, being a parent, going to school, making meals, and on and on.
Doing your part to save democracy is important, but making sure you have clean underwear for work tomorrow is also important. 🫣
Here’s something that will help.
If you have something you want to get done but it ain’t happening—whether it’s exercising every day, decluttering your closet, or yes, saving democracy—research shows one simple strategy works like magic.
But it seems too simple, so we tend to dismiss it:
Stick it in your calendar.
And it works even better if you recruit a friend to join you.
So that’s exactly what we’ll do, together. 💃🏼
Announcing: Kaboom Hour.
Next Tuesday, July 1, we’ll meet on Zoom for our first-ever Kaboom Hour.
No idea what that is? That’s okay because I made it up!
If you’ve heard of co-working, Kaboom Hour is like that, but for democracy.
In this virtual co-working session, we’ll harness the science of how to get things done, take that democracy-saving task on your to-do list, and KABOOM it once and for all. 💥
Here’s how it works…
You log in to our private Zoom room. You see other friendly Molly’s Army faces. We each announce what we’ll be working on in the next 30 minutes. If anyone isn’t sure of their next step, as a group, we’ll help you figure that out.
Then?
Radio silence. Everyone is muted. We’re all doing our part to fight for the better world we know is possible.
At 15 minutes before the end of the hour, I call us back together, and we briefly share what we got done so we can celebrate our small wins. Celebratory chocolate is optional but highly encouraged. 🥳
What’s up with the name “Kaboom Hour”?
Some people call events like this a “virtual co-working session” (snooze) or “Get It Done Day” (a little better), but I’m a Parks & Recreation superfan, and this episode lives rent-free in my head. (You’ll need Peacock to watch, and watching from the start until about the 2:20 mark will do the trick.)
Does this really work?
For the last five years, I’ve been running Kaboom Days (a 4-hour version of this event) for a professional network I lead.
And every single person who’s attended will tell you: It works. 🙌
The reason virtual co-working sessions like this work so darn well is because they’re based on the science of productivity. For example:
- When you set your intention by articulating what you’ll be working on, that increases the chances you’ll actually get it done.
- The shared camaraderie of knowing a small group of your fellow Americans are focused on democracy-defending work at the same time as you keeps you going.
- And finally, the accountability of knowing you’ll be reporting back to the group about what you got done gives you another productivity boost.
Want to join in on the fun?
See #1 under Do this + feel better below for the details to join in.
You can use your 30 minutes of focus time to call your reps, invite a few friends to join you at a future rally, write a letter to the editor—or anything else.
No matter what act of resistance is on your to-do list, this is your chance to finally get it done. All you need is an hour.
And after? You’ll feel good knowing that you not only did your part, but you did it in community with other Americans who care just as deeply as you do. 💞
Get this in your inbox: When you join Molly’s Army here, every week, you’ll get simple, doable steps we can take to save our democracy even when we’re busy and overwhelmed by the firehose of bad news.
What’s inside
Inside our latest update, you’ll find these sections:
- Do this + feel better: 3 things you can do right now. Taking any action (even if it’s tiny!) will help dispel feelings of hopelessness and overwhelm.
- Get a shot of motivation: A quote that resonated this week.
- Hey, look! We did this: A quick run-down of what folks in our little group of rabble-rousers have been doing to help.
- Your turn: What small actions have you taken lately? Let me know so we can celebrate with you!
Do this + feel better
Here are 3 things you can do right now. As a bonus, taking any action (even if it’s tiny!) will help dispel feelings of hopelessness and overwhelm…
1. Stick this in your calendar
We want to do our part to help fight this regime, but it’s hard to carve out the extra time when we’re already busy with all our regular daily responsibilities.
👉 Join our virtual co-working session to save democracy:
- What: Kaboom Hour for Democracy
- Date: Tuesday, July 1
- Time: 4 pm to 5 pm Central (click to see in your time zone)
- RSVP: Go here to register on Zoom
If you’ve been wanting to do something to help but haven’t had the time, put this event on your calendar, and we’ll make the time, together.
But what if you’re not sure what to do? That’s okay! We’ll help you brainstorm something quick and meaningful you can do.
Also, no need to stress about being on camera. If that’s not your bag, audio only works just fine, too.
Can’t wait to see you. 🥰
(Psst…if you’re wondering, “What in the world is a Kaboom Hour?!” see the intro of this message for the explanation!)
2. Turn up the heat
Senate Republicans want to pass their version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act by July 4th.
You know, the bill that would take away people’s access to life-saving medical care, triple the budget for ICE and their abduction campaign, and leave 5 million families to go hungry by removing food assistance, including children who receive meals at school. And those are just three examples from a very long list of harmful budget provisions. 💔
Our fellow Americans need us to speak up, now more than ever.
👉 Set up a recurring calendar entry for every day between now and July 4th to call your Senators.
Not sure what to say? Indivisible has talking points here. Install the 5 Calls app to get your Senators’ phone numbers, or save them in your phone as contacts.
Remember: If you don’t love talking on the phone, you can call after business hours and leave a voicemail. Also, no need to read a long script. This is the most important part to say:
“Hello, my name is [first and last name]. I’m a constituent, and I live in [city]. I’m calling to urge Senator/Representative [name] to [whatever you want them to do/not do].”
Also, here’s something fun: This spreadsheet from the folks at 5 Calls shows how many calls We the People have made to each Senator about this specific bill. As of June 23, the total was more than 445,000. And that’s just the people calling through the 5 Calls app! 🇺🇸
👉 Bonus: If you’re feeling extra fired up, you can join this phone bank with Indivisible on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday to ask affected constituents to call their Senators.
3. Celebrate the 4th…?
Especially this year, the idea of celebrating July 4th brings out complicated emotions for many of us. It’s hard to feel rah-rah ‘Murica when so many of our neighbors and fellow Americans are hurting.
None of us in Molly’s Army are happy about the path our country is on now, and yet we have one important thing in common:
We believe a better future is possible.
Otherwise, why would you have signed up to get weekly emails about saving democracy from some random lady on the Internet, when your inbox is already overflowing? 👋
You did that because you in your core, you believe we can turn this ship around and build a true democracy that works for all of us.
This July 4th, instead of celebrating with blind patriotism, let’s celebrate that better future we know is possible. Let’s celebrate the folks who’ve joined in this fight with us. Let’s celebrate the long line of Americans who came before us and fought for democracy with their blood, sweat, and tears. ❤️
👉 Acknowledge or celebrate July 4th in a way that’s authentic to how you’re feeling right now. A few ideas:
- Find an alternate event: Visit Mobilize.us and click the Filters button at the top, then enter your location in Near, switch the Date radio button to Date range, and set the start and end dates as July 4 and July 6. If you see an event nearby that resonates with you, fill out the RSVP fields and add it to your calendar.
- Host a screening of a movie like Bringing Down a Dictator or Join or Die on Netflix, which is about America’s decades-long decline in community connections and how that phenomenon sparked current threats to our democracy.
- Bake something and hold a bake sale in your neighborhood to raise funds for a cause you care about or a candidate that could help pull us out of this mess. Decorate your table with American flags.
- Going to a July 4th party? Set a goal to invite one other person at the party to get engaged more deeply. For example, if something about the current crisis comes up in conversation with a friend, you could say something like: “Oh by the way, have you heard of the 5 Calls app? I’ve been using it to call my reps about [ICE kidnapping people/federal workers getting fired/kids losing meals at school], and the app makes it super easy.” Or if someone sounds overwhelmed and doesn’t know what to do, suggest they join us at mollysarmy.com.
But if you can’t bring yourself to celebrate or acknowledge that day? You’re not alone. Many Americans are feeling hurt and scared, and July 4th is the last thing they want to celebrate.
Instead, you could call your reps about the budget bill (see #2 above) and know you’ve done your part for the day.
Get a shot of motivation
A quote that resonated this week, emphasis added by me:
“Choose a lane and do what you can. That’s all any of us can do and still live our lives. We’re all navigating the horror, the banality and also the beauty of the world. Give yourself some grace and remind yourself that you can be part of building up what’s been undone, more radically and boldly. What is torn down sometimes needs to go. Don’t hold on tightly to things that have never served us. And when something can’t be fixed, we should ask: what can be built instead?
If you’re not numb and disconnected as your enemies hope, applaud yourself for holding on to your emotions and your humanity. It means that they haven’t succeeded in stealing your heart. You are victorious because all of their propaganda hasn’t worked on you. You still care about others at home and abroad. You still hold righteous rage at injustice. You still believe in everything for everyone.
Don’t forget that dreams are fuel and that it’s important to have a vision of what we want to guide us. Our visions keep us in the fight because they are what we are fighting for. Keep making things and creating even though it might feel as though the world is ending. Share what you make with others. I have faith in our creativity. Another world is possible in part because each of us carries seeds of new worlds within us. Our opponents may try to bury us, but they don’t know that those seeds are inside us ready to create new possibilities of life.
As Ella Baker said: ‘The struggle is eternal. The tribe increases. Somebody carries on.’ I hope you’ll join me in being someone who carries on.”
— Activist, educator, and author Mariame Kaba in The Struggle is Permanent: Keep Fighting
Hey, look! We did this
Here’s a quick run-down of what folks in our group have been doing to help lately:
- Amanda and Erin are organizing a food-making party for fellow moms of young kids, which they’ll drop off at an Austin fridge pantry. 🤩
- Tons of Molly’s Army members RSVPed for Good Trouble Lives On on July 17, a national day of action to defend against the attacks on our civil and human rights. ✅ (Check for an event in your area here!)
- Bill’s Indivisible chapter organizes banner drops every Tuesday and Friday morning. 🏆 (If you’re in Austin, you can find details here.)
- Maria is encouraging friends and contacts to call their Senators to stop the budget bill and protect immigrant children who are in danger. ❤️ (This AP story explains what’s happening.)
- Sally was traveling on the day of No Kings, but that didn’t stop her! She went to the No Kings rally in New York City: “They closed off part of 5th Ave., and there were so many people and so much energy. It was exhilarating!” 🥳
- Annie and Jamie attended a movie screening of Bringing Down a Dictator. 🎯
- Jamie nudged a friend (okay, it was me) to attend a local Indivisible chapter meeting, and I added it to my calendar. 👭
Your turn
What small actions have you taken lately? Please drop a comment below (or email me) and let me know what you’ve been up to so we can celebrate with you. 🥳
