In every life, there will come a time when you don’t like what is going on around you. When that happens, how do you resist?
There are many scenarios that require resistance. As a rebellious teenager, for example, you might not want to do what your parents try to force you into doing. Or, perhaps, an overbearing boss seems determined to make you do something that you disagree with.
Whatever the particulars of the situation happen to be, they have one thing in common. In each case, an authority figure with more power and resources tries to control your actions. This can be frustrating, depressing, and dangerous. You might feel helpless and powerless, at the whim of others.
The good news, however, is that history is full of examples where a smaller, less powerful force wins out in the end.
Resistance comes in many forms. Sometimes, it might mean just patiently waiting for the environment to change. Someone with more authority might step in, for instance. The boss who gives you a hard time might be fired by their boss.
Another way to resist is to mobilize and organize. There is nothing more dispiriting than to feel you are alone against a much larger, more entrenched group. But there are likely others around you that share your viewpoint, and building coalitions can help spark ideas and increase your ability to make change.
Sometimes resisting can be very public and showy, like marching in a parade or attending a protest. But more often, just throwing metaphorical sand in the gears can be effective. Can you think of ways you might do this?
How do you resist someone that has advantages over you and your point of view?
Related questions: How do you stand up to a bully? Where does authority come from? How much power does an individual have? How do you deal with situations beyond your control?
Minnesota is under siege by thousands of federal ICE and border patrol agents. Under the stated goal of deporting illegal immigrants who are also violent criminals, these agents are in fact engaging in indiscriminate racial profiling and detention. They are targeting primarily, though not exclusively, Somali and Latinx community members, processing them for deportation regardless of criminal status.
In response, courageous protests demanding that these federal agents leave our state are taking place every day. Communities are also building mutual aid networks to keep people housed and fed, as they fear leaving their homes for arrest or deportation.
So what am I doing? My primary acts of resistance take place through my work. I am the public policy director at a renters’ rights organization, where we are documenting reports of federal officials illegally entering tenants’ homes. We are also collecting the stories of renters who are forced to stay home and miss work because leaving would put them at risk of detention or deportation.
My role includes lobbying legislators and demanding that the Governor declare an eviction moratorium to prevent people from losing their homes during this occupation. We are also calling on policymakers to fund emergency rental assistance, ensuring that both renters and landlords can remain whole while this crisis continues.
On a personal level, I am writing and sharing essays that argue for hope, justice, and collective action. We need more people engaged in resistance: more people in the streets, more people contributing to mutual aid networks, and more people calling their elected officials to demand a meaningful government response. My hope is that my writing will move some to act, or at least prompt them to ask how they, too, can participate in the resistance.