Here’s the magic number we need to aim for

Only got 5 minutes? Even if all you do is #1 under Do this + feel better below, you’ll be helping. Anything else is icing on the cake. 🤸

Dr. Erica Chenoweth has devoted her career to researching peaceful civil resistance movements. And in her research, she’s found that when movements reach a threshold of involving ​3.5 percent​ of a country’s population, those movements tend to succeed:

“If I had to pick one characteristic that correlates with a [peaceful civil] movement’s success, it’s the extent to which everyone in society—children, disabled people, grandmas—feels that they can…participate.”

Translation: We need to pull more people along with us into taking action. We don’t need more cheering from the (online) sidelines. Memes, doomscrolling, and witty comebacks on Bluesky/Threads/Twitter aren’t going to save us.

👉 You are what’s going to save us. You, me, and the folks we grab by the hand to join us in taking offline, tangible action.

In this week’s message, you’ll find 3 things you can do right now, aside from calling your reps—one thing everyone can do, one thing you’ll need to check your calendar for, and one idea that’s a little niche and definitely unconventional. 😈

So let’s all pick one thing we can do, then don’t be shy about dropping a comment below (or emailing me) to tell me about it. Because here’s what surprised me about last week’s message: The #1 section folks messaged me about to say they appreciated most of all? The Hey look! We did this list of actions we’ve been taking in our group.

Your actions (even if they feel small to you!) are inspiring others to step up, too. Which means you are single-handedly getting us closer to that magic 3.5 percent. 💃🏼

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:

• Call, call, call: A routine as important as brushing your teeth.
• 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.
• Keep growing: 4 ways you can keep learning and growing as a citizen—something to listen to, something to watch, something to read, and a training to attend.
• 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!

Call, call, call

Our democratic institutions are crumbling around us.

So this is the time for calling our reps every day—a routine as important as brushing your teeth or having your first cup of coffee. ☕️ (Bonus points if you make yourself a deal right now that you’re not allowed to brush your teeth or have that first coffee until *after* you’ve made your call for the day!)

• Why it’s important: We’re not calling our Republican reps because we think we can convince them to suddenly grow a conscience. We’re calling because they need to feel the heat so they realize their apathy has consequences. 🔥 If we don’t get to take a break from the onslaught, neither do they. On the flip side, our Democratic reps need to know we expect them to stand up and fight back, every day.
• How to reach them: Install the ​5 Calls app​ to get your reps’ phone numbers, or save them in your phone as contacts. (If you don’t love talking on the phone, call after business hours and leave a voicemail.)
• What to say: Indivisible has ​talking points here​, as does the 5 Calls app. But no need to read a long script. This is the most important part:

“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].”

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. Think of just one other person

Remember the importance of engaging 3.5 percent of the population?

👉 To help us get there, let’s all take 5 minutes and do this:

1. Ask yourself: “Who’s one person I know who’s also worried about what’s happening right now?” This could be a friend, a neighbor, a family member, a co-worker—anyone. Maybe it’s someone you’ve had an in-person conversation with about what’s happening, maybe you’ve noticed them sharing articles on social media, or maybe you know their values and that all this has got to be upsetting to them, too.
2. After you think of your person, reach out to them. Text, send a DM on social media, or *gulp* call if you have to. For example, you could say: “Hey, it’s been a while! Can you believe everything that’s going on right now with [insert your top concern, like civil servants being fired, Musk and his cronies getting access to our information, etc]?! I’d love to meet for coffee/drinks so we can catch up and commiserate.” Or if that doesn’t feel like the right fit, just suggest meeting for coffee/drinks and then in person, bring up what’s happening.
3. When you get together, share what’s on your heart and invite them to take action with you. For example: “Most days, I feel hopeless and powerless, but I know there are things we can do to help. Like maybe we could start a book club to learn more about the issues, go visit our representative’s office together, or even just meet up regularly to vent and listen. Would you be up for that?”
4. Keep your commitment. Before you say goodbye, pick the next date you’re both available to chat, and stick it in your calendars. Or if you decide to meet once every couple weeks, make a recurring calendar entry so you don’t forget.

Does this really matter? You may be thinking: Ehhh, this doesn’t seem that meaningful. How will something as small as having coffee with a friend make an impact on this ginormous mess? 🧐

But seasoned organizers and researchers who’ve studied successful resistance movements will tell you: This is exactly how you build a coalition and get to 3.5 percent.

Because the next time we have an important action or event where we need real folks to show up, we’ll have two people for every one person we had before. 💪

2. Show up on March 4

Peaceful protests get the attention of everyday people and of media, which gets the attention of even more everyday people. They see us speaking out, then they feel empowered to speak out—and that gets us closer to 3.5 percent.

First, the good news: Our next opportunity is coming up on Tuesday with this national day of protest.

👉 But here’s the bad news: Protests can be kind of…awkward. Especially if you’ve never been to one before. Or as my 7-year-old announced during the February 17 protest at the Capitol: “Protests are kinda boring.” Well, yeah.

Because you stand around, surrounded by a bunch of people you’ve never met before, straining to pick out a cohesive sentence from some random person speaking over a subpar sound system because that’s whatcha get with grassroots. 🤷‍♀️

To add to that, we’ve all seen news clips of protesters clashing with law enforcement. We have jobs, families, and responsibilities, and most of us don’t want to get mixed up with that.

📌 So here’s what you need to know: The group organizing this protest is 50501, which stands for 50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement. They’ve been organizing peaceful protests all around the country since the inauguration. Where I am in Austin, people bring their kids and their dogs. Folks make creative signs that’ll have you giggling. Our very own Lynn even sets up her Grandma Reads History station at a bench and reads from historical documents.

In other words, at this protest, you can expect wholesome, meaningful civic action:

• What: We the People March 4 America
• Date: Tuesday, March 4
• Where: Find your closest event ​​here​​

If you’re feeling a little nervous about it, grab a friend and go together. Or if you’re in Austin, let me know, and I’ll walk over with you.

Because yes, protests can be awkward, and they may not keep a 7-year-old entertained for long, but right now, they’re one of the best tools we have to build momentum.

3. Ping a college student

Warning: This action is a little more subversive than your average act of resistance so it won’t be for everyone, but this is think-outside-the-box-o-clock.

Our Republican Senators and Representatives have been hiding from us. They won’t hold town halls, their staff won’t respond to our requests to set up appointments, and often, their staff won’t even answer the phone. So it’s time for us to get creative.

🌱 If you know a college student, plant this seed with them: How about applying to be a Congressional intern at a regional office in their area?

Uh…say what now? First, some background: This action is inspired by the acts of sabotage that everyday people committed during World War II to thwart the Nazis in power. Citizen saboteurs were so effective that the US government even put out a guide to encourage more of it. Because when you slow down and gum up the work processes of the folks in power, that slows down and distracts them from even worse stuff they have planned.

So what would applying as an intern accomplish?

• The more time the Congress member’s staff has to spend dealing with these extra internship applications, the less time they’ll have to add to the mess the Republicans are creating.
• Plus, college students get practice putting together their resume—and if they make it that far in the process, they get practice interviewing.
• And it’s a long shot, but suppose a student on Team Democracy makes it through the interview process and gets an offer? If they’re feeling particularly gung-ho, they have the opportunity to accept the offer and continue on as a citizen saboteur from the inside, in whatever way they’re comfortable with. Or they can reject the offer and feel confident knowing they already threw a small wrench in the gears.

The deadline to apply for summer internships in most Congressional offices is Friday, March 7, and you can get the details from the Congress member’s site at ​house.gov​ or ​senate.gov​. This won’t be a good fit for everybody, and that’s okay.

But if you know a college student who’s frustrated with what’s happening, mention the idea to them and see what they think.

Keep growing

Learning about what’s happening and how we dig ourselves out of this hole is an ongoing process. Here are 4 ways you can keep learning and growing as a citizen who wants to protect this democracy:

• 🎧 Listen (29 minutes): Maria Stephan is the author and editor of several books on authoritarianism and civil resistance, and in this ​podcast episode​, she talks about what difference our collective defiance can actually make. (Start at 02:23 to skip the guest intro and get right to the good stuff!) A quote that stood out: “The bottom line is that we’re going to need to be prepared to engage in mass mobilization and organize collective actions [and] different types of pressure because that’s probably the only thing that’s going to move the needle.” If you’d like to hear more from Maria Stephan, check out her recent piece, ​We are stronger than we think​ (a 9-minute read).
• 📺 Watch (52 seconds): This week, USAID staff were given two days to clean out their offices at the agency headquarters in DC. So regular everyday people gathered along the sidewalk (in the rain!) to show their support to federal workers. ​Watch a clip here​. Then scroll down in that thread for a couple more short clips.
• 📖 Read (19 minutes): If you’re feeling down about the state of the world, head to ​10 Reasons for Modest Optimism​ from Robert Reich, former US Secretary of Labor. (And hey look! We helped make #7 happen!)
• ✏️ Attend: If you want to better understand the most effective community-building strategies and resistance tools, RSVP for the one-day crash course ​Resistance Training: Survival Summit​ on Saturday, March 15. Hosted by community group Bring Back the Weird, with sessions taught by experts and organizers.

Get a shot of motivation

A couple quotes that resonated this week, emphasis mine:

“Be strategic about how and when you engage online, and recognize that offline, tangible actions are what make meaningful change.”

— Dr. Anne Toomey, author of the book Science with Impact: How to Engage People, Change Practice, and Influence Policy, in an ​article sharing evidence-backed advice​ based on the most successful social change movements

Also, we need all hands on deck:

“I’m here to tell you that during this era, we are on new terrain: It is time for you to become the leader you are seeking. We must figure this out together. We each must find our own roles in this work. We each must take the reins, the responsibility for figuring out our own places on deck, now.”

— Author and organizer Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg in this ​post about our work in this new era

Hey, look! We did this

Here’s a quick run-down of what folks in our group have been doing to help lately:

• Austin and Gena took time out of their weekend to attend Representative Greg Casar’s town hall on Saturday. 🤩 From Austin: “The crowd was large (maybe a few hundred) and very supportive of his efforts…Congressman Casar was clear-eyed in describing the present situation and strong on his determination to push back. He said we can’t rely on the courts or Republicans to save us, that it will be the people at a grassroots level pushing the courts, electeds, etc. to do the right thing, like with the Muslim ban and the effort to overturn the ACA eight years ago.” Here’s a ​short clip on Facebook​ (01:04) that Rep. Casar posted from the town hall.
• Patti joined our group on Saturday morning, got my forward of the most recent message, and immediately reached out to Senator Cornyn’s office to speak her mind. And here’s the best part: After all that, she baked oatmeal cookies to celebrate taking action. (I could get behind the “Make a Call, Have a Cookie” plan!) 🍪
• Erin reached out to her Texas House rep about House Bill 3061, which would remove the right of an individual to wear a mask to protect their health.
• Sarah is planning to invite a couple folks in her neighborhood to get together and decide on what actions they can take together. 💥 (See #1 under Do this + feel better above for more on this action!)
• Brandon is joining in for Lynn’s Grandma Reads History program where she visits a public square and reads aloud from history books, articles, and documents. 📚 If this is up your alley, let me know and I’ll put you in contact with her.

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. 🥳