Day 4 – Durham, North Carolina
Hey everyone!
The Refuse Fascism National Tour traveled to Durham, North Carolina today to visit Duke University and talked with students on campus about the dangerous presence of fascism in the United States right now and how they can act now to drive out the Trump/Pence regime. The six of us split up into two groups to cover the busiest parts of campus, and we came prepared with stacks of stickers and posters to help students spread the message of NO! far and wide, as well as many Calls to Action, which we passed out to everyone we saw so they could read the powerful description of this regime and learn the four essential points of action they can take to stand up and fight back with us.
We all had some elucidating and memorable face-to-face conversations with Duke students. Overall, we drew the conclusion that a sizeable portion of students were very interested and receptive of our mission. Many were curious and drawn to us from afar, approaching us and asking what we were doing. Some saw our “Drive Out the Trump/Pence Regime!” signs, or even just our NO! stickers and apparel, and outright asked, “How can we do that?” The mood was inquisitive, and although we ran into more Trump supporters than we had at Howard University, we were able to connect on a deep level with some thoughtful, passionate future student organizers.
One tour member had an engaged conversation with a student who was initially in denial about this political situation but became inspired by the professor of her Ancient Greek Democracy class, who changed the content of the class in order to speak to what is happening in the U.S. now, without ever having to directly mention Trump. This professor’s decision to contrast democracy with fascism in their seminars is extremely important; students have to be fully aware of fascism and the threats it poses in order to wake up and rise up to refuse this regime.
I had an enlightening conversation with a student from India, who told me that he had moved to the U.S. to study seven months ago with very high hopes, and he now feels shocked and dismayed at the blatant racism infiltrating the government and becoming increasingly normalized in everyday life. We talked for a while, and he said that while he hasn’t been too familiar with American politics, this is clearly an outrage, and he’s now ready to get involved. Most of us spoke with several Catholic students who wore ashes for Ash Wednesday, and they were overwhelmingly on board with our message and in agreement that this regime is hateful and using the guise of Christianity to cover up large sections of their fascist agenda. Another Volunteer told us about a professor who expressed complete solidarity and love for Refuse Fascism.
He thanked the Volunteer for using the term “fascist” and for declaring to the world the true nature of this regime that must be recognized. He said that his parents were living in Germany during Hitler’s rise to power and the Holocaust, and he recalled asking them, “How could the German people let this happen?” Their response was that every horrific thing Hitler said and did was soon normalized, and no one truly believed this sort of genocide was possible in their country. His gratitude toward us was heartening, but his parents’ story is a serious warning to us all. The denial that many Americans are still in, the belief that America is a “free” country, and the fierce patriotism that accompanies this ignorance, all strengthen the fascist regime and allow them to further consolidate power in the hands of the executive branch—all while many Americans look the other way. We cannot and will not allow this to happen. It is our responsibility to protect one another and to never compromise with such an aggressively hateful, strategically oppressive administration.
After leaving Duke and enjoying another great dinner with our host, we all headed out to a nearby experimental jazz concert we were invited to by someone connected with the Degenerate Artists and supportive of Refuse Fascism. The band was amazing, and some of them played while wearing NO! stickers on their clothes and instruments. They invited us up to talk about the tour, and we were able to talk to everyone there in a very informal way, and it was comforting and fulfilling to share our message with people who were so understanding and open. The band played with such intensity and emotion, while simultaneously saying NO! We must drive them out!
It was a great extension of one Volunteer’s challenge to the audience in our Greensboro meeting: bring all of your love and creativity to the movement. Contribute everything you can to driving these fascists out of office. Moments like these—the ability to enjoy music, friendship, art, laughter, love—are what bring beauty to life. Many of us took a step back to remember that this is exactly what we are trying to protect: humanity. We are all reenergized and excited to continue our journey, preparing for our next stops in Charlotte and Atlanta where we’ll be part of many organizing meetings and events to spread the message of NO! everywhere.