By now, it is clear that Donald Trump intends to undermine the very foundations of the United States. This is an unprecedented assault on our institutions and the people of the United States and the rest of the world. It is overwhelming. It is scary. But this is not the first time something like this has happened in history, and there are things we can learn from people who have stood up for human rights and democracy in the U.S. and around the world. 

For many years, I trained members of organizations in direct action tactics. I've worked with neighborhood groups, veterans, environmental groups, cultural organizations, voting rights groups, and activists in the US and Iran, working to prevent a war between our countries. With all of these groups, I started by learning from activists and community organizers who came before us. 

One way I did this was by sharing some of the documentaries below. These tell the stories of groups of people who came together under dictatorships and brutal conditions and stood up for their own rights and those of their neighbors. 

I recommend watching them with your family, friends, and neighbors to get inspiration and think about what you can do today to push back against our government. You don't need to copy tactics or do exactly what these people have done in the past, but you can learn lessons and get ideas that may apply our current situation.

Nick Jehlen
Founder, Dissent Pins

Documentaries

• Bringing Down a Dictator 
  55 minutes
  In the year 2000, in a war barely noticed outside Yugoslavia, the indicted war criminal Slobodan Milosevic fought to hold power. He controlled a battle-hardened army, a tough police force, and most of the news media. But he underestimated his opponents, led by a student movement called Otpor! (‘resistance’), who attacked the regime with ridicule, rock music, and a willingness to be arrested. 
• How to Start a Revolution
  1 hour 22 minutes
  A documentary film about political theorist Gene Sharp, described as the world's foremost scholar on nonviolent revolution. This film describes Sharp's ideas and their influence on popular uprisings around the world. 
• A Force More Powerful
  2 episodes, 2 hours each
  A two-part documentary that covers six nonviolent direct action movements in a series of short segments. Individual episodes are helpful in showing the power of creative direct action, and the full series shows the breadth of possible actions. 
• Orange Revolution
  1 hour 30 minutes
  The story of the 17 days of nonviolent resistance by the people of Ukraine against their chronically corrupt government.

Frameworks

These frameworks can provide inspiration and help you think about power. 

• 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action
  A collection of methods used by opposition movements, this list is a good way to show the breadth of possible actions and to inspire ideas.

• Consent Theory of Power/Upside Down Triangle
  "By themselves, rulers cannot collect taxes, enforce repressive laws and regulations, keep trains running on time, prepare national budgets, direct traffic, manage ports, print money, repair roads, keep markets supplied with food, make steel, build rockets, train the police and army, issue postage stamps or even milk a cow. People provide these services to the ruler though a variety of organizations and institutions. If people would stop providing these skills, the ruler could not rule."  —Gene Sharp, The Politics of Nonviolent Action

Exercises

These exercises can help you consider the audiences you're trying to reach and the tactics you use to reach them. I recommend doing these exercises in groups.

• Spectrum of Allies
  This tool maps out groups that are affected by an issue and helps break them down so you can discuss actions that might influence groups to move closer to you, neutralize them, or push them further from you. It can be particularly helpful in thinking about how an action you're planning may be perceived by different groups of people. 

• Action Storming
  Developed by Nick Jehlen with The Action Mill
  A post-it-based brainstorming technique that encourages participants to create and develop new direct action methods. This technique is useful for including all of the voices in a room and revealing what kinds of actions a group finds inspiring