Fear only makes things worse—this moment needs our courage.

Today many Americans find themselves face-to-face with the sort of fascist authoritarianism that they once believed could never exist in the United States.

Others recognize that the US has always been an authoritarian force toward segments of the population—but that the fascist project is now expanding to subjugate all of us in the working class. It’s frightening….

But as the moment evolves, so must we. Because it’s the fascist’s dream for us to operate from a place of fear....

And it’s the fascist’s worst nightmare to know that we everyday people are capable of standing up against them.

Fascism requires the fear of a subjugated population in order to survive. If enough people are courageous enough to resist it, the fascist movement falls apart.

And despite what fascists would have you believe, there are a thousand ways we can demonstrate that courageous resistance. It can look different from person to person—because we all have unique skills, privileges, and risk tolerance. But we all have a role to play.

To resist a fascist movement that relies upon our isolation… courage looks like helping other people, not only ourselves.

To resist a fascist movement that relies upon our apathy… courage looks like rejecting nihilism and getting involved.

To resist a fascist movement that relies upon our submission… courage looks like speaking up against racial and economic injustice—and not just when it feels comfortable to do so.

Neither fascism nor its defeat is inevitable. And our courage today can truly mean a much better world ten years from now. Anything can happen, but we have to fight for the world we want to live in.

Fascists want you to believe that they’ve already won… but they’re lying. Authoritarianism will always inspire resistance—and we have the unique historical privilege of helping to defeat the fascist assholes who are making life suck.

This moment and the years ahead are critical in the timeline of our lives. Our actions now will have an outsized impact on the world’s future social and political trajectory.

Yes, the rise of domestic fascism is scary—but it also presents an incredible opportunity… to defeat the monsters and monstrous policy upholding systemic inequity… to model resistance for future generations… and to turn the cultural and political tide for the next century. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

We owe it to our ancestors to embrace the discomfort of accepting our place in history....

We owe it to our communities to be honest about whether we’re doing enough to resist fascism....

And we owe it to future generations to summon the courage necessary to help shape the world we wish we lived in… so that they can have that opportunity, and continue to build upon it.