Local Events: TBD
On May 1, 2026, workers, students, and families rally, march, and take action across the country to demand a nation that puts workers over billionaires, with many refusing business as usual through No School. No Work. No Shopping.
Local Events: TBD
On May 1, 2026, workers, students, and families rally, march, and take action across the country to demand a nation that puts workers over billionaires, with many refusing business as usual through No School. No Work. No Shopping.
How Nonviolent Revote Is Shaping the Twenty-first Century.
by Mark Engler and Paul Engler
Publisher: Bold Type Books
Recommended by: Bob B.
In a book that has become a modern classic of social movement organizing, Mark and Paul Engler explain that there is a craft to uprising—and that this craft can change the world.
From protests around climate change and immigrant rights, to #BlackLivesMatter and movements to defend democracy, a new generation is unleashing strategic nonviolent action to shape public debate and force political change. While mass movements are often portrayed as spontaneous and unpredictable, Mark and Paul Engler explore the hidden art behind such outbursts of protest, examining core principles that have been used to spark and guide moments of transformative unrest.
Now updated with new material discussing the major mobilizations of the past decade—including #MeToo, protests for racial and climate justice, and anti-Trump resistance—This Is an Uprising shows how new protest movements can be essential in fighting authoritarianism and advancing social and economic justice today.
Their substack: “Dispatches from the Whirlwind”
by Walter Isaacson
Isaacson explores the origins of the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
• He breaks down the historical context, showing how Jefferson drafted it and Franklin and Adams edited it.
• The book highlights how those words shaped the American Dream and remain relevant in today’s polarized times.
Ali Velshi interviews Walter Isaacson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
You can “filter” for events near you. You can also filter for the “type” of events or meetings.
Where are some current political events near you? Mobilize is a good place to start. https://www.mobilize.us/
From Mobilize’s About page:
Power to the People
Mobilize is your go-to destination for people-powered movements. We provide nonprofits, labor unions, political campaigns, and grassroots organizers the tech needed to create a more just, inclusive, and democratic world.
Nation-Wide Mobile Alert System
by Sherman Austin
The Stop ICE Raids Alert Network lets you send and receive mobile alerts about nearby ICE activity whenever and wherever it occurs.
No downloadable app required. StopICE works with technology already built into your phone. Send and receive mobile alerts via text message, or at stopice.net, from any mobile device with a tap of a button.
Adjust your notification settings at any time to receive alerts within a certain mile radius of your neighborhood.
Alerts are crowd-sourced by the public. This means alerts are sent directly by people from their communities.
Publisher: ICNC
The website of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, has many links to resources, etc., including a comprehensive “resource library” of advice for activists and organizers, as well as material from scholars, the policy community, etc.
by Indivisible
Publisher: No Kings
Across the country, authoritarian forces are getting bolder and more dangerous. Trump and his allies are not hiding their agenda: mass deportations, rollbacks of civil rights, weaponized courts, and full-scale attacks on our democracy. We don’t have to wait until it’s too late. We can stop this. But it’ll take all of us—not just single days of mass action, but sustained organizing in our communities.
That’s why this summer, we’re launching One Million Rising—a national effort to train one million people in the strategic logic and practice of non-cooperation, as well as the basics of community organizing and campaign design. This is how we build people power that can’t be ignored. You’re invited to join us—and lead.
You can visit the site to see the recorded videos and access the training materials.
Based on decades of research from Columbia University Professor and Starts With Us Expert-in-Residence Peter T. Coleman, Ph.D., the Finding The Way Out Challenge is designed to help shape new habits and norms for political tolerance and courageous compassion. Think of it as a personalized boot camp for building a healthier national culture and repairing broken relationships across differences.
Our story begins in 2016 with two groups starting independently of one another — on opposite coasts of the United States. Coincidentally, both founders chose the same name, “Crossing Party Lines.” Their shared vision led them to create a volunteer platform to unite Americans through warm and engaging conversations. Prompted by a time of unprecedented political polarization, these two visionaries, their energetic team of volunteers, and over 3,000 CPL members are uniting America one conversation at a time. Donations to Crossing Party Lines, Inc. are 501(c)3) tax-deductible.
For the latest information about No Kings events, go to this website: https://www.nokings.org
In June, we did what many claimed was impossible: peacefully mobilized millions of people to take to the streets and declare with one voice — America has No Kings. And it mattered. The world saw the power of the people. President Trump’s birthday parade was drowned out by protests in every state and across the globe. His attempt to turn June 14 into a coronation collapsed, and the story became the strength of a movement rising against his authoritarian power grabs.
Four months later, that movement roared back even stronger. On October 18, over seven million Americans joined 2,700+ events in all 50 states — a nationwide uprising 14 times larger than both of Trump’s inaugurations combined. What began in June as a single day of defiance has become a sustained national resistance to tyranny, spreading from small towns to city centers and across every community determined to defend democracy.
Now, President Trump has doubled down. His administration is sending masked agents into our streets, terrorizing our communities. They are targeting immigrant families, profiling, arresting, and detaining people without warrants. Threatening to overtake elections. Gutting healthcare, environmental protections, and education when families need them most. Rigging maps to silence voters. Ignoring mass shootings at our schools and in our communities. Driving up the cost of living while handing out massive giveaways to billionaire allies, as families struggle.
The president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings — and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty.
Our peaceful movement is only getting bigger. “No Kings” is more than just a slogan; it is the foundation our nation was built upon. Born in the streets, shouted by millions, carried on posters and chants, it echoes from city blocks to rural town squares, uniting people across this country to fight dictatorship together.
Because this country does not belong to kings, dictators, or tyrants. It belongs to We the People — the people who care, who show up, and who fight for dignity, a life we can afford, and real opportunity. No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings.
Signal and Whatsapp as Organizing Tools – Google Doc
Build Power Locally – Google Doc
Sustained Action Between & Beyond No Kings – Google Doc
Be a part of the movement to restore democracy in our country
Community Organized Activism
Indivisible Mid-Peninsula is the local branch of Indivisible, encompassing the area between Menlo Park and Belmont on the San Francisco Peninsula. We welcome members from other areas as well! Our mission is to:
Our goal is to create a community in which pro-democracy advocates find opportunities to engage and have an impact at whatever level works for them. We’re committed to taking action that will lead to a more perfect union, where “justice for all” is more than a platitude.
We meet as a community on the 4th Wednesday of the month to learn ways to be effective in supporting those targeted by Trump’s policies and determine the most impactful actions we can take in our fight for democracy.
Defend Democracy. Build Community. Have Fun.
Indivisible Palo Alto Plus (IPA+) is a diverse, action-oriented community that works to defend democracy across the San Francisco Peninsula and beyond. We combine grassroots activism with joy, bringing together people of varied backgrounds and perspectives to stand against authoritarianism and to protect democratic values. We are committed to making positive change—one action, and one connection, at a time.
Because tyrants hate it when we’re having fun, IPA+ meetings always incorporate playful activities that help us laugh and connect with each other. We believe that fun, joy, and laughter are essential to nourishing our spirits so that we can do the hard work of activism.
IPA+ is a recognized part of the Indivisible movement. We work with the national Indivisible organization and with other local Indivisible groups.
COURIER is a pro-democracy news network that builds a more informed, engaged, and representative America by reaching audiences where they are online with factual, values-driven news and analysis.
COURIER’s local newsrooms provide Americans with news centered on the people and policies affecting their lives. Our reporting is primarily produced for the social media platforms and online channels our audiences spend their time on, with an emphasis on video, graphics, and skimmable newsletters to inform and engage our audiences in the ways they consume information today.
Recommended by: Bob B. – “A nonprofit working to create large collaborative projects to promote consensus policies frameworks with details that could be enacted by Congress on the basis of broad acceptance within the country from Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.”
In a recent YouGov poll, 83% of citizens wanted lawmakers from both parties to make our package of 39 life-enhancing reforms “a priority.”
These reforms would significantly advance citizens’ long-thwarted aspirations for:
Greater economic opportunity and growth
Schools that enable kids to reach their potential
Effective & affordable healthcare
Curbing the national debt
Reliable, clean & affordable energy
Fairer, simpler tax code
Congress organized to resolve our differences
Among the reforms that voters across the spectrum support, all but two have been around for years.
Congress has enacted NONE
The reason: Lawmakers win reelection over 90% of the time by blaming the other party for our critical problems and offering sound bites as remedies.
To overcome these dysfunctions, the Grand Bargain includes three reforms that would reward lawmakers who make major progress on our long-term ills — while those who stood in the way would be likely to lose their seats.
Hear Vinay Orekondy from the Grand Bargain Project talk passionately about our project at EarthX 2025 as part of a Rotaract Club spotlight.
Rise Above US vs Them. Be a Builder
Recommended by: Bob B. – “Builders Movement, was launched by Starts With Us, and supported by Kind founder, Daniel Lubetsky.”
Our mission is to overcome “us vs. them” thinking and solve problems together. We equip people to uncover hidden common ground and build on it – with lasting solutions that reflect the will of the people.
Communications consultant Anat Shenker-Osorio developed the 3V messaging framework. Effective 3V messages:
As linguist George Lakoff says, “People vote based on values, connection, authenticity, trust and identity” – not lists of policies and facts.
The Bay Area Coalition offers 3V statements on the critical issues of our time.
Using the power of social networks and digital media, we motivate individual and collective action to advance resilient communities, just societies, and a healthy planet.
95% of young people are on social media.
Relationships, ideas, and images of our lives are shaped and shared on social media every day. In partnership with Feel Good Action, influencers are leading their followers to ACT.
Newsletter
Publisher: Lincoln Square
When you join Lincoln Square, you are more than a passive consumer of content – You are a critical member of the Ferocious Opposition. We’ll provide you with the truth that you need and the tools to help spread the antidote to Trump, MAGA, Musk, and what once was a legitimate major political party in our country, the Republicans.
Lincoln Square founders introduce LSM here.
Lincoln Square is a collaborative effort with The Lincoln Project, America’s leading pro-democracy organization. It’s an ambitious effort to rethink how the media fights against autocracy, disinformation, and the flood of attacks on truth and our democracy. We don’t pull punches. We don’t cower in fear and hope Trump, Musk, and their minions don’t notice us and be spared their wrath.
We aren’t legacy media. We don’t have billionaire backers or corporate overlords directing what we can and cannot say.
Our mission is to expose, inspire, inform, lead, and connect — and give you the tools not just to fight back, but fight forward for the America we all deserve – not just the broligarchs and kleptocrats. We fight for the rights of all of us because it takes all of us for America to achieve her extraordinary potential. And we’re getting louder than ever with podcasts, live streaming, digital and social media, commentary, articles, town halls, public and virtual community gatherings, and strategy calls with people like Rick Wilson, Stuart Stevens, and Joe Trippi, who have led the biggest campaigns — and won.
By Baratunde Thurston
Recommended by: Bob
Here are some sources of ideas from a podcast by Baratunde Thurston, which began in 2020 and has four seasons of episodes. The overall theme is encouraging thinking about “citizen” as a verb. The four
pillars for doing this are:
The four seasons of episodes (ranging from 11 to 16 episodes each season) consist of interviews with folks who are thinking about and demonstrating democracy-building activities. It’s a wonderful resource for ideas. They include international, national, statewide, and local leaders.
Recommended by: Bob B.
More in Common was established with the mission of tackling the ‘us-versus-them’ divisions that pose a generational threat to the United States. We have published over 30 reports since launching in the US in 2018, with a foundational study that helped shape the emerging field of efforts to tackle polarization in America. Hidden Tribes: A Study of America’s Polarized Landscape showed that rather than being evenly divided, most Americans belonged to an ‘Exhausted Majority’. America’s Exhausted Majority is tired of tribalism, fed up with the country’s polarization, and more flexible and less ideological than the strident voices who dominate public debates.
We work with leaders across the ideological spectrum to strengthen American democracy, solve problems, and better navigate the dynamics of a polarized society. The common thread through our ever-increasing range of projects and partnerships is a simple truth: what we as Americans have in common is greater than our differences. Through both our research insights and on-the-ground projects, we’re building evidence-based solutions to bring this truth to life.
More in Common is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. We receive funding from foundations, organizations and individuals who share a commitment to building communities and societies that are more resilient to the forces of social fracturing and polarization. Philanthropies that support More in Common’s work fund projects across a wide range of issue areas.
Frame Lab advises calling Trump a loser, a fraud, or a betrayer of trust. A dictator creates an image of power, whereas a loser is a label no strict father/wannabe dictator will admit.
Who We Are
A group of residents from San Mateo and neighboring communities who oppose Trump and his authoritarian policies. We are a peaceful people gathered for a common purpose of protecting our democracy, our Constitution, and our rule-of-law.
What We Do
Schedule and participate in actions such as protests, bannering over freeways, door-to-door canvassing, phone banking, and much more!
Since January 2017, more than 4,000 San Franciscans have united as Indivisible SF to march in the Women’s Marches, protest the Muslim Ban, meet regularly with our Members of Congress, and make thousands of phone calls to their offices to pressure them to do everything in their power to counter the policies and politics of Trumpism. There is much work in progress and many actions to come.
Members of Indivisible SF are defined by our action and find solidarity in our shared opposition to Trump and Trumpism. Each of us explicitly reserves our individual stances on specific issues for other forums as we believe resisting Trump is more important than any single issue. We adhere to a Code of Conduct that welcomes and respects everybody.
Members of Indivisible SF come from all kinds of backgrounds and political persuasions. Some of us are first-time activists and others have been at this for decades. We are citizens and non-citizens. Most importantly, we are all patriots that want the best for our country and are willing to work for it.
Democracy Forward uses the law to build collective power and advance a bold, vibrant democracy for all people.
Democracy Forward is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy and public education, and regulatory engagement.
In towns and cities across America, we provide legal representation and expert counsel to the people and communities who make up the very fabric of American democracy — free of charge.
Everyone can do something to resist the Trump regime. Every act of resistance will combine with every other act of resistance to let them know we will not be quiet as they try to dismantle democratic institutions, erase our history, and destroy our rights.
We will not obey in advance!
Coastside United for Action was established after the Nov 2016 Presidential election. We have worked with groups such as Indivisible, Sister District, Activate America, and Reclaim Our Vote. In 2018, we registered as a Sister District affiliate, and each year we sponsor two Sister District candidates through fundraising, phone banking, and postcarding.
In 2022, we formally affiliated with Indivisible. We have an active postcard group and have written over 160,000 postcards and letters since 2017.
We are a group of dedicated volunteers who’ve been meeting since 2016 to advance our democracy through civic action and resistance. We’ve already reached a million voters through letters, postcards, calls, and texts and are continuing to resist Trump’s destruction of America through driving electoral change, protecting voting rights, fighting disinformation, building pro-democracy infrastructure in rural districts, creating art against the power grab, and more. We welcome newbies and introverts, and anyone within driving distance of Mountain View, CA (we have members from Gilroy to Napa)! We host weekly and monthly events, we take direct action at protests and rallies, we chat, eat and watch debates, we celebrate wins and discuss the best way forward. As one of the oldest Indivisible groups on the Peninsula, we hold the most in-person events. Join us to build a better future!
In America, we don’t do kings.
We’re a grassroots movement of thousands of local Indivisible groups with a mission to elect progressive leaders, rebuild our democracy, and defeat the Trump agenda.
Defeating a multi-decade right-wing takeover of American government ain’t easy. But we’re here to win, and we have a plan. Here’s how we’re doing it:
We Are Indivisible. Our opponents depend on a divide-and-conquer strategy, so we treat an attack on one like an attack on all. We show up for each other, and particularly for those facing the brunt of right-wing ideologues’ attacks – often immigrants, people of color, and low-income people. We share a vision: a real democracy, of, by, and for everyone.
Strong Leaders, Strong Groups, Strong Movement. We build and sustain our movement’s power by helping individuals take leadership. They grow and lead local Indivisible groups, take independent action, and coordinate with their fellow local leaders. As a movement, our power comes from coordinated national campaigns where we act together, indivisible.
Inside/Outside Strategy. We understand systems of power – like how Congress operates – and we work inside them to get results. That complements our outside strategy of locally-based constituent pressure to demand elected leaders, regardless of political party, work for our democracy.
A Virtuous Cycle of Advocacy and Elections. We show up to advocate for policy wins in off-years and get out the vote in election years. These efforts reinforce each other to ensure our democracy works for all of us and that the people in power do too – or we will replace them with electeds who will.
VoteRiders is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with a mission to ensure that all citizens are able to exercise their freedom to vote. VoteRiders informs and helps citizens to secure their voter ID as well as inspires and supports organizations, local volunteers, and communities to sustain voter ID education and assistance efforts.
Lawfare is a non-profit multimedia publication dedicated to “Hard National Security Choices.” We provide non-partisan, timely analysis of thorny legal and policy issues through our written, audio, and other content—all of which you can find here. We strive to achieve academic-level depth with magazine-level readability at the pace of news. We aim to improve the discourse on the law and policy of national security with a relentless focus on substantive issues that matter—in a fashion that is useful to policymakers and practitioners, but also accessible to anyone who wants to access it. Our areas of coverage range from national security law, threats to democracy, cybersecurity, executive powers, content moderation, domestic extremism, and foreign policy, among many others.
Recommended by: Bob B. – “Convergence Center for Policy Resolution, provides services and training for those wishing to transform conflict into collaboration.”
In a country marred by deep conflict, city, county, and state officials face mounting pressure to engage diverse stakeholders in resolving contentious and complex public policy issues. The Convergence Learning Lab’s training and consultation services empower leaders with the necessary skills to bridge these divides resulting in more productive public meetings, more constructive community engagement, and, ultimately, better outcomes for constituents.
Lab services are built on our unique, evidence-based collaborative problem-solving methodology which has been used to successfully address seemingly intractable political, social, organizational, and community-based issues.
Convergence’s success offers a beacon of hope for the majorities of Americans frustrated by divisiveness that change is not only possible, but that we have the tools and the knowledge to bridge even the starkest divides with consistency. In addition, our success highlights the rich set of tools, practices, and resources that others can use to achieve similar successes.
Bringing people together across divides to tackle today’s toughest challenges
Recommended by: Bob B. – “(NCDD), a nonprofit membership organization that maintains a database of collaborative organizations around the world.”
The National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD) is a network of innovators who bring people together across divides to discuss, decide, and take action together effectively on today’s toughest issues. NCDD serves as a gathering place, a resource center, a news source, and a facilitative leader for this vital community of practice.
Dialogue and deliberation are innovative processes that help people come together across differences to tackle our most challenging problems. In a time when we are increasingly told how divided we are in so many ways in our nation and in our world, teaching, spreading, and supporting the skills of dialogue and deliberation are vital.
The NCDD website is a clearinghouse for literally thousands of resources and best practices, and our highly participatory national and regional conferences have brought together more nearly 3,000 practitioners, community leaders, public administrators, researchers, activists, teachers and students since 2002. We keep in touch monthly with 28,000 people involved in public engagement and conflict resolution work.
Above all, NCDD provides opportunities for members of the broadly-defined dialogue and deliberation (“D&D”) community to share knowledge, inspire one another, build collaborative relationships, and have a greater collective impact.
Below you’ll find our contact info, mission, details about our membership, and more. You can also read the full story of NCDD’s beginnings and learn about the NCDD team. And, of course, if this resonates with you, please consider becoming a member or making a donation to NCDD!
NCDD is an educational organization and a Community of Practice. Communities of practice are formed by people who engage in a process of collective learning in a shared domain or topic area. In other words, communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.
Our members make up the core of our community of practice. As of January 2021, the Coalition’s membership has grown to include 700 organizations and individuals. Our website visitors, social media group members, conference attendees, and over
This is a good independent source for news around the SF Bay area. It lists some upcoming events. Mostly, it has current news and past events.
Scroll to the bottom of any page to see the selections for defining the different interest areas: Regions, Topics, International, and More.
For example, the “Peninsula” region will show you events and articles for the Peninsula area. https://www.indybay.org/peninsula/
From “What is Indybay?”
Indybay is an open-publishing website for social justice news. That means you can directly Publish your own stories in your own words, unfiltered by the corporate media. You are encouraged to include your own photographs, video, audio, and/or PDFs in your posts. We do not require that you have any formal writing, multimedia, or reporting experience, only that you have a story to tell.
Indybay maintains a popular Calendar, too, so if you are organizing an upcoming event, feel free to Add Your Event to Indybay’s calendar.
Indybay news stories primarily focus on issues facing Northern California, specifically the San Francisco Bay and Monterey Bay areas, however we accept stories published from across the U.S. and all over the world.
Inspired by Justice William J. Brennan Jr.’s devotion to core democratic freedoms, the Brennan Center for Justice works to strengthen democracy, end mass incarceration, and protect liberty and security.
The Brennan Center for Justice is an independent, nonpartisan law and policy organization that works to reform, revitalize, and, when necessary, defend our country’s systems of democracy and justice.
Recommended by: Bob B.
Vision – Nonviolence International seeks a world of justice, peace, and environmental sanity where the worth and dignity of all people is fully realized and conflicts are resolved without resorting to violence.
Mission – Nonviolence International advocates for active nonviolence and supports creative, constructive nonviolent campaigns worldwide. We are a backbone organization of the nonviolent movement, providing fiscal sponsorship to partners all over the globe. We tell the transformative stories of dynamic emerging nonviolent movements that give us hope in difficult times and are reshaping what we view as possible. By telling these inspirational stories and supporting these movements, we help to create a peaceful and just future.
Organizational Information – Nonviolence International (NVI) was founded by Palestinian activist Mubarak Awad in 1989. NVI is a 501(c)(3) organization registered in Washington, DC, USA. NVI is also a non-governmental organization in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
Corporations have their lobbyists in Washington, D.C. The people need advocates too.
Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that champions the public interest in the halls of power. We defend democracy, resist corporate power, and fight to ensure that government works for the people – not big corporations. Founded in 1971, we now have 1 million members and supporters throughout the country.
With rare exceptions, we don’t participate in partisan political activities or endorse any candidates for elected office. We take no government or corporate money, which allows us to remain fiercely independent and call out bad actors – no matter who they are or how much money and power they have.
Using the power of law, narrative, research, and people, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) defends the humanity and advance the rights of Black people in America.
LDF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
February 19, 2025
Today, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) and Lambda Legal filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of nonprofit advocacy organizations challenging three anti-equity executive orders from President Trump related to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and transgender people.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure everyone is represented in our democracy. We empower voters and defend democracy through advocacy, education, and litigation, at the local, state, and national levels. IPV is affiliated with The League of Women Voters South San Mateo County
American Civil Liberty Union – Defend the rights of all people nationwide
The ACLU has evolved in the years since from this small group of idealists into the nation’s premier defender of the rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. With more than 1.1 million members, 500 staff attorneys, thousands of volunteer attorneys, and offices throughout the nation, the ACLU of today continues to fight government abuse and to vigorously defend individual freedoms, including speech and religion, a woman’s right to choose, the right to due process, citizens’ rights to privacy and much more. The ACLU stands up for these rights even when the cause is unpopular, and sometimes when nobody else will. While not always in agreement with us on every issue, Americans have come to count on the ACLU for its unyielding dedication to principle. The ACLU has become so ingrained in American society that it is hard to imagine an America without it.