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Hope Is a Verb

105 9
19.02.2026

While justice remains a motivator, modern political upheavals have triggered more visceral emotional drivers.

Resistance 2.0 describes the new tactics and perspectives that drive changemakers and activists.

Storytelling disrupts a nothing-can-change narrative, returning agency and humanizing the community.

I have been meaning to get back to this blog because there is so much to talk about. But, every time I’ve sat down to write, I could only think, This world is on fire; what can I possibly say to temper the flames? For the first time since I became an activist (my first protest against inequality and for diversity was when I was 13), I felt overwhelmed with a political dissonance that was mirrored by many others around me. It’s not surprising, considering the human rights crisis of mass deportations and unchecked power of ICE agents; the dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; and every threat to the planet due to the withdrawal of the United States from global climate accords—just to name a few highlights of the first year of Trump’s administration.

It is easy to succumb to this feeling of overwhelm in the face of fear and uncertainty. Activist filmmaker, therapist, and professor, Rafael Angulo shares, “I learned from a client regarding activism that it is our obligation to look at the dark but never stare at it. Once we stare at darkness, we become guilty bystanders to evil and systematic pathologies that our bodies and minds are either triggered by or become helpless. Community is our balm to look at darkness together.” With a reminder of the importance of community, the work of activists and change makers takes on even greater meaning, especially when there are so many direct threats against the communities they are part of, care about, or work with.

Activists and changemakers move toward confrontational approaches

Instead of falling into the trap of learned helplessness, today's changemakers are doubling down. Dr. Dana Fisher calls this........

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