I’m so proud of the people stepping up right now — first-time callers, creators speaking out.

If you need proof pressure works: leadership is being sidelined, accountability calls are growing, tactics are being questioned, protests are spreading.

Small actions add up. Keep going.

📞 Call your Senators: 202-224-3121
“Please oppose DHS/ICE funding without oversight, warrants, and limits on harmful tactics.”

Abolishing ICE is the real goal, but we need to regain congress for that. This is what we can do right now.

Ways to help folks in Minnesota now:
mspmag.com/arts-and-cul...

A throwback from May with a current message: collective action works.

• Show up to rallies (peaceful & sustained) — Indivisible / 50501 Movement
• Call Congress — 5Calls
• Boycott complicit corporations
• Write voters — Vote Forward
• Donate where it matters

Together is how we win.
#belikesandy

Right now, Congress is negotiating the FY2026 DHS appropriations bill

Calls right now have real leverage. If you’re horrified by what’s happening in Minnesota after the ICE shooting and protests, this is a real chance to do something that helps. 

☎️ 5calls.org
💻 democracy.io

Right now, Congress is negotiating the FY2026 DHS appropriations bill

Calls right now have real leverage. If you’re horrified by what’s happening in Minnesota after the ICE shooting and protests, this is a real chance to do something that helps. 

☎️ 5calls.org
💻 democracy.io

My first political post followed anti-choice legislation — I pledged 20% of that month’s soap sales to abortion access.

I lost some followers, gained ~18k more (I only had 6k then), and had my biggest sales weekend up til then.

Consider being “political.” Courage inspires courage!

Lawmakers are debating whether to pass DHS funding without guardrails — or require real accountability. Think it doesn’t matter? Staffers say otherwise, especially now.

Use 5calls.org (or the 5Calls app) to call your Rep + Senators. You can call daily. Even voicemails count.

I’m honestly gobsmacked by the response to that reel about when “it” happens (more than 6,000 comments on Instagram alone).

Joy is why we fight, and it’s also what gives us strength. Let it happen.

(Also: the piñata head may need to become real.)

I don’t, sorry! I’m honestly not a great business person, but I sell as much soap as I like, so my pace is fine for me!
I will reopen my shop next week, likely Wednesday or Thursday. I won’t announce it though.

Even if you don’t know for sure, I bet you know exactly what I’m talking about.

I usually focus on optimism and action, but today I’m indulging a small fantasy — imagining an end to harm and a collective exhale.

So humor me. In this hypothetical… what would you do?

Recent events have hit hard.

When something this horrific happens, it can knock the wind out of you.

If today is a day to step back, breathe and do that. Grief means you care.

Come back when you can.

For analysis, follow:
@heathercoxrichardson, @aaronparnas, @joycewhitevance, @iampoliticsgirl, @robertreich

How to stay effective:
🔥 Don’t disengage
✊ Show up (No Kings rally)
📞 Call Congress (@5calls)
💸 Support legal fights
🗳️ Prep now for the midterms

What we’re doing is working. Stay the course.

With your help, I’ve been able to donate directly to organizations supporting trans folks, reproductive freedom, immigrant rights, democracy, and youth. I’ve organized fundraisers that raised even more.

This doesn’t happen without YOU. Every bar purchased, every $10 donation, every share mattered.

The folks at MigraWhistle make it easy to host your own assembly party. Zine PDFs, folding instructions, and whistle print files are at migrawhistle.org — and they welcome questions.

Free kits are available at Citizen Ruth (NE Alberta).

Doing something together builds community — share widely.

This reel responds to a comment asking why I wasn’t supporting a particular cause.

Not doing everything doesn’t mean not caring — it means choosing where I can sustainably show up..

If you’re fired up about an issue, take that as a signal to act yourself to do something positive to help.

Looking for soap while I’m sold out? I shared a list of talented soapmakers in the comments here:

👉 www.instagram.com/reel/DRfV1Ps...

Please feel free to cheat on me 😄 Supporting small-batch makers keeps this whole ecosystem thriving.

More soap coming next month; optimistic activism until then.

Yelling “What the actual f*ck” is understandable.
Stopping there isn’t required.

Turn outrage into action:
📞 Call reps / join Indivisible
👀 Learn ICE watch & get trained
💸 Donate strategically
🤝 Build community

Authoritarianism thrives on isolation.
Community is resistance.

I’d love to see a real study on how this administration has impacted our mental & physical health. I know my nervous system is feeling it.

I usually focus on action — but today is just for venting. Say what’s been heavy, and support each other if you can. We’ll get back to solutions tomorrow.

Visible support matters.

When trans people are being scapegoated, seeing allies speak up — in comments, posts, stickers, or conversations — can make all the difference.

If you’re looking for a place to start, say it out loud here. Your words might reach someone who really needs them today.

I’ve been getting this a lot lately:

“Are you…?”
“Do you make candles?” (😂)
“Oh — you’re the soap lady!”

So being recognized at @craftywonderland tracked.
The energy was extra though.

If you’re near Portland, it’s still happening today — and full of fantastic local artists worth supporting.

When things feel dark, it’s easy to withdraw — cancel plans, scroll, and tell ourselves we’ll reconnect “soon.”

I shared a list of practical, low-pressure ways to reconnect in the Instagram caption for this reel:
👉 www.instagram.com/reel/DSNVDlR...

Community matters. More than ever.

I fell out of the library habit after Covid, but canceling our streaming services reminded me what a gift it is. Libby + Hoopla give me endless books & shows for free.

Check things out, show up for programs, support funding, bring a friend to get a card.

Using your library is resistance.

Dang! They’re not. You can find them here: www.instagram.com/potters_rise...

Potters Rise Up raised $12K for justice using handmade mugs — creativity as resistance.

It’s the same spirit I bring to my soap: using what we love to push back and do real good.

Follow @potters_rise_up — their next fundraiser is coming, and your morning mug might help fight fascism.

Yes, we have to resist — but we can’t live in panic 24/7.
My friend Gina’s rule: 15 minutes fighting fascism, 15 hours seeking joy.

Joy is an act of resistance.
Refuse to let them take that from you.
Do something today that makes you feel alive.

We raised nearly $7K for the Oregon Food Bank — mostly from small donations. Proof that when regular people work together, big things happen.

So grateful to the makers who helped make this fundraiser possible.

Full caption with MANY ideas for doing good here:
www.instagram.com/reel/DR7aem2...

I’ve been seeing a meme that “shifting $40 to local shops” and while I haven’t checked the match, I agree that money spent locally stays in the community — supporting wages, suppliers, taxes, and charities.

We can’t buy everything small, but shifting even a couple gifts matters.

I’m in a season of “enough,” so I’m sharing the abundance.

Soap makers: drop your shop, where you’re located, and what makes your bars special. New? Experienced? Side-hustle? Tell us your story.

Thanksgiving shipping pause: orders after Wed noon ship Monday.

Thanks for sharing!

Free MigraWhistle kits are now available at Citizen Ruth (1416 NE Alberta St).

Whistles alert the community when ICE is spotted:
• Short blasts = ICE nearby
• Long = someone’s being detained

Support the Alberta St shops while you’re there.
More info: @migrawhistlepdx & migrawhistle.org