How Ordinary People Build Real Political Power Against Fascism

[00:00:00]If you're paying attention to what's happening in America right now, you've probably had this thought: What can one ordinary person possibly do against all of this?

[00:00:09]>> [music] >> Because let's face it, we're fighting back against billionaires, corrupt politicians, rampant propaganda, and institutions on the verge of total collapse. And if you're anything like the average person who cares about this stuff, you've probably done a few things in response. Maybe you've donated to causes you've cared about. Maybe you've marched in a no kings rally. Maybe you've made phone calls. And if you're anywhere near social media, you've probably argued with strangers online.

[00:00:37]And you're probably, honestly, wondering if any of those limited steps that you've taken actually matter.

[00:00:43]And unfortunately, I have to tell you that in today's environment, doing things sporadically here or there without any strategy, support, or community around you is not going to be effective. But I also have to share with you a real truth, which is that it is ordinary people throughout history who have defeated authoritarian movements.

[00:01:03]Not because they were rich, not because they were famous, not even because they were elected politicians, but because they understood a principle that most of us don't yet get. And that principle is that political power is not something that you have. It's something that you build. And by the end of today's video, you're going to know the four very simple steps to build political power against fascism where you live.

[00:01:31]Before we dive in, I'm Elizabeth Cronise McLaughlin. I'm a former human rights lawyer, a lifelong activist, and for the last 15 years, I've been working with people who have been fighting to make change in real and substantial ways in these incredibly challenging times. If you're someone who knows you're meant to do more, but you're not exactly sure how to do it, I want to invite you to apply for a complimentary consultant call with us at the Ripple Effect Institute at the link below. We'll walk through your ideas, your challenges, your skills, and your talents, and you'll leave with great advice on the next best step for you. The link to apply is below. Now, let's talk about how power actually works.

[00:02:13]Part one. We've been lied to about power.

[00:02:17]Let's just be frank about this. One of the greatest successes of modern authoritarian and fascist movements has been convincing ordinary people that power belongs exclusively to politicians or billionaires or celebrities or people with millions of followers. But every movement that has ever changed history, from the French Resistance to the United States Civil Rights Movement to the fight for marriage equality to labor unionization, has been fought primarily by ordinary people. By teachers and parents and retirees, by lawyers and nurses, by faith leaders and the working class. People who weren't famous. Just people who simply decided that they weren't willing to wait for change anymore. Because here's a really critical secret that we should remember in this era. Politicians do not create movements, but it's movements as people come together to fight for change that actually create the conditions in which politicians have to respond. Politicians are almost always forced to respond to organized communities. Not to individual outrage and not to random social media posts.

[00:03:31]One angry voter has almost no leverage, but 10,000 angry voters absolutely do.

[00:03:37]That is real political power. Now, I want to talk for a minute about what this looks like in real life.

[00:03:45]Because I know that if you're thinking about how you can be a part of the solution to what we're facing down right now, it can kind of hard to imagine what that might look like.

[00:03:55]And in this regard, you've got to be willing to think outside the box because building real political power is not just about protesting in the streets. In fact, in most instances right now, it's actually about what people are building in their own local communities and how those networks of people come together across the country. So, before I walk you through the four ways that ordinary people can build political power to fight fascism, I want to give you an example from one of our members inside the Ripple Effect Institute who is doing this so well. His name is Matt. Like so many people after the last election, Matt was really worried about what was happening in this country and especially what growing authoritarianism meant for already marginalized communities of LGBTQ folks, neurodivergent folks, trans folks, and other people that he really cares about. And particularly, Matt's concern has been about safety. But instead of asking the question, "How do I stop fascism?" Matt asked something different. "How do I build the kind of community that makes fascism weaker?"

[00:05:03]His answer was not to run for office or to try to become a political influencer or going on social media to argue with people every night. Instead, he's creating a community creative cabaret, a place where artists, performers, and neighbors from every background or identity are welcomed and where creativity creates connection and where people who have never met can begin to create real, trusted relationships. As you'll see over the next few minutes, Matt is building real political power not because he's trying to become powerful, but because he's building community every step of the way. And that is how ordinary people have always changed the world. Part two. The four ways that ordinary people build power.

[00:05:55]Okay, now I'm going to walk you through the four very basic steps for how ordinary people can build political power against fascism. And these are things that when you first hear them may sound kind of simple, but I'm here to tell you that when you put them into practice, you will build the kind of community that is resistant to fascism from the ground up. Here they are.

[00:06:14]Number one, build relationships. The first principle is very simple. It is to build relationships of trust. Social media has convinced us that building political power comes from broadcasting things on the internet. History, however, teaches us something very different. Power, in fact, comes from relationships. Every successful movement begins with people who trust each other, who know each other's strengths, who can call one another when something happens, who seek to solve problems together. Cuz I want to tell you a little secret here today. If all your activism exists on social media, you do not have political power. All you have is visibility. And those are completely different things.

[00:06:58]Real political power begins with knowing people in your own community. Just like Matt began by building relationships with artists, creatives, and neighbors who shared his vision. Before there could ever be a creative community endeavor, there had to be trust. That is how real power actually starts. Number two, become valuable. This one sometimes surprises people because movements do not just run on passion. They actually run on skills. Can you organize volunteers, manage a spreadsheet, run a meeting? Do you know how to raise money, teach people about an issue, design a website? Can you write an email blast or a news release? Do you know how to coach people into doing the right thing at high-stress moments? Are you trained in conflict resolution? All of these and many more are skills that every movement needs. And the most powerful people inside movements are often the least visible. And that's because they're utterly indispensable. Chaos in our work creates conditions where authoritarians can grow. So, what we need to counterbalance that is competence. Every skill that you already have can be a tool for the future of democracy. And Matt in his work is using skills that he's built throughout his entire life.

[00:08:23]His creativity, [snorts] his leadership, his ability to bring people together to create something that his community actually needs. He's not waiting for someone else to solve the problem. He's doing something that he already knows how to do in furtherance of creating community that can fight back. And before we go any further, I want to tell you that this is a place where a lot of people get stuck. They know they want to help, they care deeply, but they can't figure out where their particular experience fits into all of this. That's literally what we help people discover inside the Ripple Effect Institute. If you're someone who's had some success in your career or life and you're struggling to figure out how your skills could be put to good use building real power in this incredibly critical time, apply for a complimentary consulting call at the link below.

[00:09:12]Because honestly, the world doesn't need another outraged person. We've all got enough outrage to go around right now.

[00:09:19]What we actually need right now is people who know exactly where they belong in the fight to save and grow democracy. Number three, create community. Okay, so one thing that we have to talk about at this point is that what authoritarians and fascists really want is for everyone to feel incredibly isolated and alone.

[00:09:39]Because if you're isolated and you're scared, you're not getting together with others to fight back. So, where authoritarians isolate, people who believe in a better democracy organize.

[00:09:51]And one of the biggest mistakes I see people making, honestly, is trying to find ways to fix this country alone. You can't. None of us can. But small groups, a handful of very committed people, in the words of that famous quote by Margaret Mead, small groups can change cities. Small groups can change the administration of the law inside states.

[00:10:15]Small groups can get the right people elected to office. And all of those efforts together can change countries and shape culture and save lives.

[00:10:26]Community is not just emotionally important. It's politically mandatory.

[00:10:31]And it's also strategically necessary so that people who care deeply do not burn out. Communities are what endure through the darkest moments of history. And this is another moment where Matt's project becomes such a powerful example. He is not simply organizing community creativity or group performances. He's creating a space where people who have all too often felt excluded can find belonging, where artists can collaborate, where neighbors can meet, where people who might have otherwise never crossed paths can begin building real and sustained relationships. And that, my friends, is much bigger than a community art project or a performance venue. That's actually democratic infrastructure. Every community that we build makes authoritarianism a little weaker because people become connected instead of isolated. And that connection gives them hope and support and belief that they can make a real difference in this time. Number four, stay in the fight.

[00:11:39]So, here's something that nobody really talks about. Political power compounds.

[00:11:43]The person who's been showing up for their community over the last five years has exponentially more power than someone who just started yesterday. Not because they're smarter, but because they have built community trust. And as relationships compound and trust compounds, political power is built from the ground up. People begin asking for the advice of those who are known and trusted. Those are the folks who are also invited into leadership of significant community organizations and nonprofits that can really move the needle. They're also the folks who are trusted with bigger responsibilities, whose opinions on things like elections begin to really matter, and who become the rock on which whole communities can shift and change. Real power isn't built in viral moments on the internet. It's built through showing up consistently, week after week, month after month, year after year. And just to go back to Matt for a minute, he's not opening this project overnight. He's building it conversation by conversation, relationship by relationship, planning meeting by planning meeting. And that is how real political power and influence in community can grow. Not through one dramatic moment, but by taking action consistently over time.

[00:13:06]Part three, what fascism actually fears. So, here's where the rubber actually meets the road. Authoritarian movements do not actually fear loud individuals. They fear organized communities. They fear neighbors who know each other, who come together to fight back against ICE. They fear teachers talking to parents about how to protect trans kids in schools.

[00:13:30]They fear union members who train new leaders to rise and fight for the rights of labor. They fear mutual aid networks that keep people thriving and alive even when the social safety net crumbles.

[00:13:42]They fear faith communities that provide safety and a place of respite for everyone who needs it. They fear election protection volunteers who are committed to making sure that every vote counts. And more than anything, they fear people who solve problems without waiting for permission. Because every single one of those things that I just described builds real democratic infrastructure. Every single relationship becomes another thread that's harder to pull apart. Every new leader trains another leader and every community becomes more resilient. And that's why dictators attack community organizations and independent media and universities and libraries and labor unions and faith communities. Those are not random targets. They're places where ordinary people come together to build political power. And the key to all of this is that when we are in community with one another, in real relationships of trust, everything that we do to care for one another undermines the fascist agenda.

[00:14:48]Because if we show up for our neighbors who are under threat of being kidnapped by ICE, if we show up for our trans neighbors who are being denied health care and safety as a massive distraction from corruption at the top levels of government, if we refuse to be divided, the fascists cannot win. We have to become the communities that the fascist fear the most. And the only way that we can do that is by ordinary people coming together in communities of care that build real infrastructure for safety, survival, and a better future. So, if there's one thing that I hope you remember from today's video, it's this. You do not need anyone's permission to become politically powerful. You don't need millions of followers, you don't need to run for office, and you don't need to quit your job. You simply need to build relationships, use your skills, grow community, and stay in the fight. That's why I'm so inspired by people like Matt and so many of our members inside The Ripple Effect Institute. Matt's not waiting for somebody else to save democracy. He's not waiting for a hero to show up to protect the people that he cares about. He's building a place where people who have been historically and currently excluded can find real belonging and safety. He's strengthening relationships, he's building community, and he's making his own little corner of the world far more safe and much more resilient. Every healthy community that we build makes democracy stronger and fascism weaker. History isn't only made by extraordinary people. It's made, in fact, by ordinary people who decide to become extraordinarily committed. If that's the kind of impact that you want to have, if you know that you're meant to do more than watch the news, donate occasionally, and hope somebody else shows up to fix this, we'd love to help you do it. At The Ripple Effect Institute, we help experienced professionals and people who have built skills throughout their entire life discover where their unique talents can be applied to create the greatest positive impact. And then, we help them build it. If that sounds to you like a critical part of the next chapter of your life, click the link below to apply for a complimentary consultant call. And if you found this video helpful, hit like, subscribe, and share this video with someone who needs to hear that democracy has always been defended by everyday, ordinary people. Thank you so much for being here, >> [music] >> and I'll see you in the next video.