Protests are important and joyous events. Indivisible Santa Fe meetings are often informative and inspiring. But one thing is undeniably missing from much of our activity: more diversity in terms of age, income, and ethnicity of our participants. It’s great that white people, many older, many affluent, are standing up and resisting the regime. But where are our brothers and sisters from other communities?

The question, in fact, isn’t where they are—but rather, how are we standing up for them, so that they will feel truly welcomed, valued, and supported, and not just invited to join as a token gesture to diversity. That is, if we want more people to come join in our meetings and protests, we need to show up more for the actions of others. Showing up is essential to demonstrate our support, to build community, and to increase the active network of those in the resistance.

Showing up can take on many forms. It can mean becoming a voluntary contributor to the O’ga P’ogeh Land Tax (Beyond Acknowledgment: Moving Toward Repair with the O’ga P’ogeh Land Tax). contributing time or money to Burrito Brigade (The Burrito Brigade – Mutual aid network and community care in Santa Fe, New Mexico). It can mean attending events organized by Somos un Pueblo Unido, or Contigo Immigrant Justice (formerly Santa Fe Dreamers). It can mean showing up for Wednesday noon pro-Palestine protests at the Roundhouse, or anti-war protests, or any number of other events put on by our friends and neighbors.

Listen, I get it—people are busy and have multiple commitments. Giving time or money isn’t always possible. But if roughly 8,000 people showed up for No Kings 3, surely among those 8,000 there are a few hundred or more who would be willing to come out more often. We need to encourage people to show up at different events, and to make it clear that those who are the safest in this current disaster are genuinely concerned about those who are more vulnerable. We need, in short, to demonstrate that we are genuinely interested in raising our voices against an array of injustices, in solidarity with other organizations.

Each individual can only do so much. But what if we made a greater effort to reach out to those who are occasional rally goers but otherwise not particularly active? Specifically, what if some people volunteered to be captains in a phone tree—and I’m using the word “phone” here flexibly. Many people send out notices by email to their contacts, but people are more likely to participate when the invitation is more direct and personal. That could mean a text, a phone call, or even a personal email. As I envision it, some of the captains could be those who are not able to show up at many events, but who could spend a few hours a month encouraging others to attend protests, demonstrations, meetings, and so on.

What do we need? Some people willing to find out about events around town that need the support of our community. Some people willing to do personal outreach. And we need a growing list of people who are interested in doing more but need a bit of pushing. If all those pieces come together, we could show more support for our community, build resilience, and be in a better condition to face whatever future onslaughts arrive.

Interested in helping out? Please contact me at debra.anima@proton.me