Megan Fowler

Polling data from Harris & Associates 1966. Q: Do you approve of what Freedom Riders are Doing? 22% approve 61%disapprove18%no opinion.

I just like to post these data from time to time to puncture the mythological aura of mid 20th c protests. They were less popular than pretty much any 21st c mass action & people criticizing them used the same lines. Protest is about people coming together, shaping narratives, & building power.

Sigh.....

Another good report of others who have experienced this same rapid descent into fascism. Do not stay silent.

Remember this the next time Congress tries to tell DC they know better than us.

Remember this the next time Congress calls DC’s leaders unqualified.

Congress has blown open a massive budget hole for DC and doesn’t care about us enough to even take the “easy fix.” www.axios.com/local/washin...

Love this! The big cities provide fantastic photos of the masses, but the small towns show us real bravery.

A lot of the youth in DC were at the March for Palestine.

#handsoff rally in DC! Courage is contagious.

PBS News Hour | Library and museum support agency faces massive cuts | Season 2025 Library and museum support agency faces massive cuts after Trump order

While ILMS funding supports many programs, poor rural communities will likely feel these cuts first and most deeply. Rural libraries, which serve as lifelines to communities w/o reliable access to broadband, rely heavily on this funding for survival. This is criminal.
www.pbs.org/video/defund...

🌸 Weekend event roundup 🌸

Looking for ways to spring into action? There are plenty of opportunities this weekend to get engaged with Free DC, show solidarity with your neighbors, and build community. See you in the streets!

Get more info and sign up: freedcproject.org/events

"Whoever you are, wherever you live, whatever you can do to show courage right now — it matters more than you know."

The Institute for Museum and Library Services Was Just Gutted DOGE fired all IMLS employees and closed down their emails. It is assumed all funding for 2025 coming from the federal agency will not be happening.

DOGE has just completely gutted the IMLS, firing all staff, closing down their email addresses, and leaving any funding for 2025 in question.

bookriot.com/imls-gutted/

Your weekly civics roundup Upcoming ways to plug-in around D.C.

Looking for stuff to do this weekend? Check out our new Civics Roundup post; we'll be listing ways to get involved around D.C. each week!

As @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social writes: "Authoritarians demand the right to define what is true."

I wrote about why American science is under attack. TLDR: it's because authoritarians demand the power to define what is true, and the entire project of empirical study is a threat to that power.

www.brookings.edu/articles/pop...

We closed out the day visiting an incredible 379 House offices about the DC Local Funds Act. Special thanks in particular to the 40+ DC students who joined us today — it’s a joy to speak up for DC alongside you!

An important distinction.

NEW: Erdogan has banned protests in Turkey. He has threatened to arrest anyone attending one.

This is the people’s response.

Fighting for their democracy with another vast gathering in Istanbul tonight. #Turkey 🇹🇷

(🎥 Credit: Özgür Özel - Chairman, Republican People’s Party)

The fascists don’t just want people to be afraid of dissenting. They also want you to feel hopeless and cynical, convinced change can’t happen.

They want you to just take care of your own life because the greater world is too much.

They want you to feel this precisely because things *can* change.

"You are very unlikely to change the politics of folks who vote differently from you, but you can humanize each other and build trust."

"Understanding when movements succeeded during Trump’s first term is important for identifying how activists can effectively oppose Trump policy in his second administration."

ALA statement on White House assault on the Institute of Museum and Library Services An executive order issued by the Trump administration on Friday night, March 14, calls for the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the nation’s only federal agency for America...

Plenty of agencies getting gutted, so this isn't surprising. But it's likely going to fly under the radar, so I'm highlighting here.
www.ala.org/news/2025/03...

Oh, yes. We can certainly ignore the many parents and middle aged women I joined at Senate offices today.

Also, kinda hilarious that Sen. Scott can't get his trash picked up.

Glad to be one of the few hundred people who walked into Senate offices today and yesterday to help make this happen.

thehill.com/homenews/sen...

Spent the morning in Senate offices today with a few hundred smart, professional activists who are doing all we can to save DC and stop the Continuing Resolution from passing. We lost the vote, but we are all prepared to keep working.

The day's not over. If you haven't called/emailed your Senator yet, it's not too late.

Dollars and nonsense: House Republicans vote to defund D.C. police and schools Congress could force D.C. to cut $1.1 billion out of its local budget, which could lead to cuts in services and layoffs.

Meanwhile, let's use the CR to keep DC from spending its own local tax dollars.

For those wanting more info on DoE civil rights changes.

For Trump, 3 court losses in 90 minutes | CNN Politics Three different federal judges delivered legal setbacks and slap downs to President Donald Trump in the span of an hour and a half on Tuesday in a series of cases challenging controversial moves taken...

Of course they'll try to get around these decisions, but at least it's SOME good news: For Trump, 3 court losses in 90 minutes
www.cnn.com/2025/02/25/p...