Making A Stand, Taking A Knee

We resist because, over the centuries, those with the courage to stand up (and kneel) for themselves, and for those whose names they would never know, set their feet upon a path that led to many of the most important events in our history.

As a country, America was built on the promise of freedom. It was created when families, determined to throw off the yoke of monarchical rule, sailed across dangerous waters in pursuit of religious freedom. We resist because whether or not you believe, and in whom you believe, is a decision that only you can make.

Our great nation came into being because thousands of immigrants resisted the suffering of their homelands, instead heeding the call of Lady Liberty. In doing so, they built a country whose promise remains possible. That promise, however, cannot be realized from within a cage.

But for the suffragettes’ refusal to acquiesce to the denial of their right to vote, Amendment 19 would never have been ratified. And, the right to vote is among our most sacred; it should be available to all Americans, including her returning citizens.

Had Martin Luther King, Septima Clark, Malcolm X, Angela Davis, and Ella Baker remained silent, passage of the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act would never have been accomplished. We resist, and in doing so, we speak up for those whose voices are ignored.

We resist a Congress who supports the NRA and ignores the trail of blood that traces a path from their pockets to our schools. We resist because our children should be learning about reading, writing, and arithmetic, not Kevlar, bulletproof backpacks, and body bags.

We resist because we know that black lives matter; that no human is “illegal”; that climate change is real; and that there is no “justice for all” until there is truly justice for everyone.

We resist because we believe that women’s rights are human rights and human rights include healthcare, education, upward mobility, and the freedom to love who we choose.

We resist because the Bill of Rights — the result of one of the greatest moments of resistance in our history — says we can. Freedom of speech is the first of ten amendments because our founders viewed it as sacrosanct. It is the right that distinguishes the United States from many other countries around the globe. It is inviolable. It is without equal. We resist because nothing honors the First Amendment more than the cry of dissent.

Join the Resistance

Each of us resists for our own reasons. Whether you are passionate about education, rights restoration, gun reform legislation, protecting health care, ensuring reproductive justice, eradication of institutional racism, pathways to citizenship for immigrants, net neutrality, or climate change, Resistbot is here to help get your message across. Send STATE, CONGRESS, or PRESIDENT to Resistbot, and write a letter to each of your legislators with your thoughts on the issues that are most important to you.

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