The Refuse Fascism National Tour had our fourth full day in Atlanta today, and we spent all of our time alongside Refuse Fascism Atlanta leaders, reaching out to students near the Georgia State University campus. We found a bustling street corner and set up a table piled with materials and a big “NO! Drive Out the Trump/Pence Regime” banner, and we spent the day passing out Calls to Action and stickers, approaching students, professors, and other passersby directly, stirring things up, and sparking captivating conversations.
Responses and reactions to our group were predominantly affirmative, indicating a widespread open-mindedness among the campus community, and many of our interactions were constructive and helpful in showing us ways we can inspire interested people to become involved in a very concrete way. It was extremely beneficial to have an already well-established chapter with great, highly enthusiastic organizers to whom we could direct curious newcomers. This really highlighted the importance of starting up chapters in all of the cities we visit so that everyone who wants to become part of our movement has a solid ground for continuing this effort; our organizing meeting in Charlotte that resulted in the development of a new chapter is a perfect example of the way we must leave each community with a strong plan to work toward driving them out after the Tour departs for our next destination.
We tried several different approaches to engage as many people as possible. When we all had a meeting after leaving the campus area, we were in total agreement that it was especially productive to ask provocative questions as people walk by; we should be saying things like, “Trump and Pence are illegitimate fascists, aren’t they?” This is particularly useful when spreading the message on the streets, so that we can engage people who otherwise might have rushed past. We are all working toward talking with people in deep dialogue, rather than talking at them.
Some of our Volunteers also brought attention to our street corner by shouting about the horrors of the regime, why it is fascist, and why we must drive them out. The presence of the banner, as well as having so many of us in the same area, holding posters and stickers, drew people toward us, and we were often approached by inquisitive people who asked why we are here, or how driving them out could even be possible. This is exactly what we need! The one-on-one conversations we have will inspire new organizers to action, and discussing the Call to Action is an essential way of reshaping the way people are thinking about this regime.
We each were able to speak with students who felt ready to bring the campus to life in the spirit of resistance, and they seemed to be empowered by the unifying goal of driving them out—rather than the tiring, vastly disappointing thought of protesting day after day for four full years. Students were readily signing up and hungry for more information about the organization in general, as well as events and meetings specific to Atlanta. They were itching for action, and a majority of them outright asked what they can do to force out Trump and Pence. I spoke with one awesome student who was excited to share posters and Calls to Action with all of her organizations, and she told me she wanted to walk through the Call with her friends and see what questions come up. Other students were eager to put posters on their dorm room doors or apartment windows, and many took some to distribute to friends or bring to upcoming protests and marches, such as city events on International Women’s Day.
Another group we encountered throughout the day that was exceptionally intrigued by Refuse Fascism was professors. One Tour Volunteer was very inspirited by one conversation with an older professor, who exclaimed how proud he was to see all of us outside, mobilizing and organizing for something so deeply important. He saw our movement to drive out this disgusting fascist regime as “an extension of the Civil Rights Movement,” with an even bigger and growing group of oppressed people to fight for. This was a really beautiful and encouraging moment for the Volunteer, and conversations like these motivate us all to work to our fullest potential every day on the Tour.
I had a greatly worthwhile discussion with a professor of political science at Georgia State; as a professor in this department, she had a detailed and accurate understanding of what fascism is and what its dangers are. At first, she explained that, while she fully agrees that Trump and Pence are fascists, the term may be too provocative and abrasive for the masses to accept as a description of the White House administration.
After we both shared our impressions of recent events and I explained some points of the Call to Action and its significance, though, she changed her mind and agreed with me that education is an extremely central component of the resistance against Trump, and she eventually concurred that if we work to propagate a deep and widespread understanding that this regime is truly and precisely fascist, people will be stirred to rise up, move into and stay in the streets, and remove them from office. She took Calls to Action to discuss with colleagues and students, and ultimately this was an extraordinary example of how open dialogue about the points of the Call can transform people’s mindsets and translate this sense of urgency that we absolutely need to remove these fascists from power before it’s too late for any resistance.
Another Tour Volunteer had a long conversation with a philosophy professor, who was unsure if driving out the Trump/Pence regime was possible or the right way to direct her energies. She shared that her current plan is to try and create a safe place to help attacked groups survive. Her urge to protect minorities and threatened communities is certainly a beautiful and empathetic action, but it is not nearly sufficient to protect the millions who will not survive four years of a fascist America.
This problematic attempt at protecting oppressed people came up in the discussion we shared with Refuse Fascism co-initiator Sunsara Taylor, who led a Teach-In at an Atlanta church yesterday. “You can’t hide 11 million immigrants in churches, and even if you could, Trump would never respect the closed doors of those churches,” Sunsara told us. This reality is absolutely essential to recognize. Once we are hiding Muslims or Mexican immigrants in our attics, as some Germans did for Jewish victims of the Holocaust, it’s too late to save them, too late to protect humanity from the horrific, nearly unimaginable destruction that will come to us if we do not force them out. It is our responsibility to show everyone we encounter on this Tour that driving the regime out is both necessary and possible.
A challenge we face ahead of us is how we can compel massive groups of people to grasp that verbally agreeing with us is not enough. The people of Atlanta and the people in every corner of America must get organized now in order to be ready for the moment when millions flood the streets and scream NO! The students and professors of Georgia State helped us see which organizing approaches work, and we are resolved to continue making very solid plans for everyone we meet to become involved, including setting up chapter meetings, distributing materials, fundraising, putting up billboards and advertisements, and the simple yet powerful action of bringing dialogue about this fascist America to the forefront of all of their social interactions—with classmates, friends, family, professors, and others. The Tour and Refuse Fascism Atlanta seek to grow in scale and influence as many people as we can to get on board with the essential goal of completely refusing any cooperation or accommodation with this regime.