wagingnonviolence.org

The rise of authoritarianism in the United States had devastating consequences in 2025. It was a year of unrelenting injustice, maddening and terrifying at once. Amidst the cycles of heartbreak and hope, resistance surged to unprecedented levels. Along with mass demonstrations and powerful boycotts, there were countless acts of creative protest that rekindled spirits, made us laugh out loud, and kept us rising up.

For 38 weeks straight, racial justice protesters have been gathering outside a Target in Washington, D.C. to call out the company for suspending its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts, aligning itself with the Trump administration’s attacks on DEI.

Brown University senior Caitlyn Carpenter was working on a class discussion post the night of Oct. 1, when news broke that set off a firestorm of debate in academia. The Trump administration had just released a “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” and invited nine prominent universities, including Brown, to sign on. Schools that did so would receive preferential federal treatment.

Since Sept. 13, thousands of protesters have been marching in Lima, the capital of Peru, demanding new leadership. They say the conservative administration, which has overseen the murders and extortion of protesters and journalists, is corrupt and does not represent them.

This summer, kids are taking the climate crisis to the courts. The 22 plaintiffs of Lighthiser v. Trump, a lawsuit filed in May, range from 7 to 25 years old. They are challenging three of President Donald Trump’s most controversial executive orders to “unleash” fossil fuels and revoke renewable energy initiatives. The orders roll back critical investments in sustainable technologies and climate science, declare a “National Energy Emergency” to increase fossil fuel use, and prop up the coal, oil and gas industries through deregulation.

According to a joint statement published last month by over 240 international human rights organizations, more than 500 Palestinians have been killed and almost 4,000 injured for trying to access aid at GHF sites. Israeli forces and armed groups routinely open fire on starving civilians seeking food. GHF massacres have been documented by firsthand Palestinian accounts and Israeli soldiers who admitted they were ordered to open fire on unarmed Gazans seeking aid. U.S. aid sites have been called “killing fields,” “death traps,” and “the concentration camps of our time.”

One more reason to head to a No Kings protest on Saturday

There are 12 recognized Indigenous groups encompassing around 51,700 people across Putumayo, including the larger groups of Awá, Camëntsä, Inga, Kichwa and Siona. Among these communities, there are an estimated 350 Indigenous guards, each unique in their customs and centering mandates on protecting their communities, cultures and the lands under their stewardship.

Boycotts traditionally require a lot of coordination to make them work. They require:

South Koreans reversed a martial law decree in just six hours, showing how ordinary citizens and politicians can take fast action to uphold democracy.

South Koreans reversed a martial law decree in just six hours, showing how ordinary citizens and politicians can take fast action to uphold democracy.

South Koreans reversed a martial law decree in just six hours, showing how ordinary citizens and politicians can take fast action to uphold democracy.

DOGE’s hiring site has become a focal point for cathartic and even strategic outrage, underscoring the important role humor and rebellious defiance play in bleak times.

Federal workers, faith leaders, unions and ordinary Americans are already showing the power of collective defiance and how to make cruelty backfire.