Build the Resistance Newsletter #1
Three featured resources, two featured actions, and a featured win to help you build the resistance this week.
Dear Friends,
Welcome to our first newsletter. Build the Resistance is a resource hub and movement megaphone to #buildtheresistance against Trump, fascism, and plutocracy in the United States.
We’re not an organization; we don’t have donors to answer to or an agenda to push. We’re not a news site; we’re not going to send you daily updates about the latest illegal order or how fucked we are.
We recognize that what’s happening is a fascist coup. But rather than allowing despair to paralyze us, we’re focused on what to do about it.
The truth is, there’s a lot of bullshit ideas and calls to action that people are making up and frantically sharing online. Our platform is meant to help you cut through the noise so you can find resources, actions, and strategies for resistance that are actually effective and relevant to you.
We’re starting this newsletter to show you what’s working — and give you the hope and tools to take action. We’re a handful of seasoned organizers that are more inspired everyday with each new example of resistance that we catalogue and amplify.
If you want to stand up and fight back but don’t know where to start, or if you’re feeling hopeless and overwhelmed, you are in the right place.
Below, you’ll find three featured resources, two featured actions, and a featured win to educate, activate, and inspire you for the week ahead.
Let’s build the resistance together.
-BtR team
We are open-sourced and volunteer-run — your submissions to our databases are the fuel for this people-powered engine. Keep ‘em comin!
FEATURED RESOURCES
Effective resistance requires the know-how to recognize and seize everyday opportunities. Check out this week’s three featured resources.
Mutual aid has long been a powerful tool for intercommunity empowerment. Strength comes from investing in our communities and supporting the most vulnerable. Whether you’re in need of mutual aid or looking to provide assistance, check out the Mutual Aid Hub to see what’s local to you.
We’re currently living in an age of online and offline surveillance. Check out the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Surveillance Self-Defense kit to learn the basics about online surveillance. Read their user friendly guides on more secure applications and surveillance self-defense scenarios. Remember, the best offense is a strong defense.
20 Rules for Fighting Fascism. Rule #1 Do not obey in advance
Many of us have seen this first of twenty rules for fighting fascisms. But how well do you know the other 19 rules? Read them for the first time or refresh your memory now. If you’re feeling inspired, turn these into stickers and pass them out to your friends!
FEATURED ACTIONS
This week we’re highlighting two nation wide actions you can take part in to protest the most unprecedented power grab of the 21st century.
Join the ongoing boycotts against Tesla and Target!
Boycotts are one of the most effective forms of protest. However, boycotts in the social media era have often struggled.
That’s why we built Boycott Central: Stay up to date on active boycotts, show the organizers you’re participating, and learn about what it takes to make a boycott successful.
The Target Fast meets all our requirements— a set date (March 5 - April 12), a demand, a negotiation committee, and a way of communicating.
And everyone’s knows about Tesla already. Join the picket lines at the next day of action, sell your Tesla, dump your stock, and find ways to pressure every Tesla driver you see to participate. On Saturday, March 29th, people around the world took part in the largest global Tesla Takedown yet. Musk has personally lost a whopping $121 billion in net worth over the past three months. Let’s keep up the pressure!
Saturday, April 5th, we’re taking to the streets nationwide with a clear message for Trump and Musk: Hands off! There are over 600 protests across the country planned for April 5th, most organized by the HandsOff coalition led by Indivisible.
This is a nationwide mobilization to stop Trump, Musk and their billionaire cronies from their all-out assault on our government, our economy, and our basic rights. While the price of food, rent, and healthcare continues to climb for us, Trump and Musk are gutting protections for workers, dismantling social services we’ve spent decades paying into, assaulting our communities and rights. This is our moment to tell them Hands Off! We will not allow the billionaire class to be enriched at the expense of the working people. Find the nearest action to you or find out how to host an event in your community.
FEATURED WIN
Let’s not forget to celebrate our wins. This week we’re shining the spotlight on how widespread the resistance truly is.
“Where is the resistance?” “Why aren’t the marches as big as in 2017?”
In reality, there have been twice as many protest events so far in 2025 as compared to 2017. And besides, mass marches are one of the less strategic forms of protest anyway. The resistance now is more strategic and more widespread. Read more.
Having been out of 'movement politics' on a street level at least for many years, I'm hoping that Resist reaches out to older movement veterans to help learn from tactical successes, and to avoid mistakes made in the past. I want to talk about affinity groups and training methodology for the new era of mass protests. The trumpists will use Provocateurs in group protests and organization meetings. We need to get ahead of disruptors now.
I appreciate the useful information contained in the newsletter. It is succinct and specific. I especially appreciate the resources for online security. I am hoping that future newsletters will not punctuate the message with profanity. To me it is unnecessary and dims the seriousness of its content. Thank you for your consideration.