This is the snowball effect we need right now
7 minutes I believe that when this coup-in-progress leaves you feeling frozen and powerless, the antidote is one tiny step forward: Add a Zoom call to your calendar. Install the 5 Calls app. Share an article in your group chat. Forward this message to a friend.
Because a funny thing happens when you take that tiny step forward. You feel better, yes. But more importantly, you realize that you have power. 💪
You think, “I did that.” And like you’ve unlocked the next level of a video game, you see new tiny steps ahead of you that you either hadn’t noticed before or hadn’t thought yourself capable of.
Let me give you an example from a fellow member of Molly’s Army: I first connected with Dana when organizing a rally outside Senator Cornyn’s office in early February. She’s a mom of a young child and like many of us, she doesn’t consider herself an activist. She’s just trying to get through every day.
But she cares deeply about what’s happening right now, so she RSVPed for the Cornyn rally (tiny step!). ✅ She ended up not being able to make it, but she messaged me and said she would like to get more involved (tiny step!).
We stayed in contact, and she made a plan to go to a rally at the State Capitol on Presidents’ Day (tiny step!). Her childcare fell through, but she messaged me and reaffirmed her commitment to showing up at a future event (tiny step!).
Then a couple weeks later on the night of the State of the Union address, she invited her aunt along with her to a candlelight vigil at the Capitol (tiny step!). 🕯️
After those tiny steps, Dana more clearly saw the path ahead of her—the opportunities where she could use her power. She RSVPed to a rally that weekend (tiny step!) and made it. She RSVPed to a rally at Cornyn’s office the next week (tiny step!) and made it.
Like a democracy-saving snowball effect. 🤩
Dana continues to build on tiny step after tiny step. In fact, she’s tiny-stepped herself all the way up to help organize the April 5 Hands Off rally featured below. (Thank you, Dana!) Not only that, she got invited to the Nonviolent Austin Radio Hour on KOOP this week to share her mom-turned-activist story. (You can listen to her interview starting around the 1:40 pm mark here.)
Here in Texas, some folks are fond of the Texas Two-Step. But I’m a much bigger fan of this power move: The Democracy Tiny-Step. 💃🏼
So let’s follow Dana’s lead: What will your tiny step be this week?
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. Show up on Saturday
This weekend, we’re joining forces all over the country to stop the illegal billionaire power grab. This is all hands on deck!
👉 Find your closest Hands Off event here.
Please do everything you can to show up for this rally because this is a pivotal moment. 🇺🇸
Community orgs helping to make this happen include Indivisible, MoveOn, The League of Women Voters, the Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood, Public Citizen, the Women’s March, 50501…so many!
2. Multi-task at the grocery store
Many Americans aren’t aware of everything that’s happening right now because mainstream media is falling down on the job. Not to mention the bad news is constant—it’s a lot to keep up with!
That means it’s our job to help our neighbors by spreading the word. 💞
A friend shared this simple flyer with me, and it does a great job of summarizing where we stand at the moment and the high stakes for our democracy. So let’s put it to good use!
👉 To get started:
- Print a few copies of this flyer titled, “There’s a coup happening in the USA: Here’s what you need to know.” (You’ll find two versions inside: one black-and-white, and the other in color. Pick whichever one works best for you!)
- The next time you run an errand, slip a flyer under the windshield wiper of the two vehicles on either side of you. Boom, done! 💥
- Repeat steps 1-2 as often as you like or are able to.
If leaving flyers under windshields doesn’t feel like the right fit, here are a few alternatives:
- Leave a flyer behind in your grocery cart for the next shopper to find
- Hang a flyer in a common area, like a bulletin board at a community center or neighborhood park—check for posted rules you might need to follow and consider printing this 11×17 version of the flyer for better visibility
- If you’re brave enough: Stand in a high-traffic area like a bus stop and hand out flyers—veteran flyerers recommend extending your arm (with the flyer in it) while at the same time saying “There you go” or “Enjoy” to increase perceived value 😉
3. Watch this, then share
Have you heard of the book OnTyranny? It’s been on the New York Times bestseller list for 115 weeks, even though it was first published in 2017.
This short book is a guide to how we can survive and resist America’s turn towards authoritarianism—just 127 pages.
But what if you’re busy? What if nonfiction puts you to sleep? What if it gives you flashbacks to high school history class when you had to memorize battle dates and body counts? 🤮
I gotcha covered.
In this 10-minute video, actor John Lithgow gives a high-level summary of the 20 lessons from On Tyranny. Like Cliffs Notes but this time, they’re saving democracy.
After you watch, share it in your group chats or with friends to get it in front of more eyeballs. Then please collect this Tiny Step award: 🏆
Get a shot of motivation
A quote that resonated this week, emphasis mine:
“Asking ‘what should we do?’ misses the point entirely. There is no single action, no perfect strategy, no one-time gesture that discharges your moral responsibility. The question isn’t what you should do—it’s who you should be. Every minute of every day.
Be the person who names the lie, even when everyone else plays along. Be the one who remembers what happened yesterday, even as others accept today’s contradictory reality. Be the colleague who refuses to participate in the ritual humiliation of others. Be the friend who doesn’t laugh at cruelty disguised as humor. Be the citizen who treats democratic norms as sacred, not optional.
These choices don’t require special talents or privileged positions. They don’t demand heroic sacrifice or martyrdom. They simply require the decision to remain morally awake when everything around you encourages sleep. To maintain your full humanity when systems push you toward becoming a fraction of yourself.
Every minute of every day, you have opportunities to practice standing firm. Each small choice builds the moral muscle memory you’ll need for bigger challenges ahead. Each moment you choose courage over comfort, clarity over confusion, community over isolation—you’re not just preserving your own humanity. You’re keeping something precious alive in our collective existence.”
— Former tech executive Mike Brock, in The Manifesto of the Cognitive Revolution
Hey, look! We did this
Here’s a quick run-down of what folks in our group have been doing to help lately:
- Suzann shared the Molly’s Army message from last week with a friend, who decided to join us. 👭
- Nicole’s tiny step: “I’ve been meaning to do this for ages, but I installed the 5 Calls app on my phone.” Woo! 🤸
- More than 200 people showed up for the Tesla Takedown protest last weekend, including Austin, Wendy, and others. 🤯
- Lynn felt inspired by Maureen last week and plans to follow in her footsteps to order Covid tests (at no cost!) from the government as a proactive move before the program is potentially dismantled—at which time, the tests will likely be destroyed. Lynn and Maureen plan to distribute the tests in the community, such as at school nurse’s offices, food banks, and churches. 👏 (If you’re interested in ordering tests to distribute where you are, email me, and I’ll share the details!)
- Andrew is keeping friends informed by sharing about upcoming events, including the Texas Celebration of Courage featuring Gabby Giffords on April 8. (See here for more info on the event, and RSVP here.) ❤️
- Judy and the Austin Raging Grannies plan to show up for the next rally outside Senator Cornyn’s office on Wednesday, April 9, and they make every event better with songs and spirit. 🎶 (If you’re in Austin, RSVP here for that event, and learn more about the Raging Grannies here.)
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. 🥳
