The Horizons Project

We created the Faithful Fight series with @horizonsprjt.bsky.social to help religious communities continue their tradition as key defenders of democracy. Read and share: https://protectdemocracy.org/work/the-faithful-fight

YouTube video by PaxChristiUSA Maria Stephan opening plenary, Pax Christi USA 2025 national conference

Watch the video of Maria’s keynote address here: youtu.be/b0olBsE84ec?...

#mustread 🧵and download thanks to @mariajstephan.bsky.social @paxchristiusa.bsky.social #nonviolence #peoplespower #resistance

cc @peterdiganderson.bsky.social @robinpugh.bsky.social

National Hispanic Heritage Month | AFL-CIO

Happy #HispanicHeritageMonth!

America’s unions are proud to celebrate and honor the history, culture and incredible contributions Hispanic and Latino communities have made in our lives, our workplaces and our labor movement.

Feels like the world’s on fire half the time, but workers keep showing up. We are the backbone holding communities together, and that’s why our fight for fair pay and dignity can’t be ignored.

No Kings October Mobilization Kick Off Call · No Kings The No Kings Coalition is proud to announce the kick-off to our October 18th national protest! Join us to learn more about the vision, urgency, and strategy behind this national day of action. Wheth...

We’re kicking off the next #NOKINGS day of action with a national call on Sept. 18.

Hear from AFT President @rweingarten.bsky.social & others about the vision, urgency, and strategy behind this movement.

Get details & RSVP here ⬇️

ART CULTURE & DEMOCRACY RESOURCES Artistic and cultural processes are uniquely well-suited to counter rising authoritarianism and strengthen inclusive democracy because they have the power to engage us cognitively, emotionally, sensor...

🖼️ What role can artists and cultural organizers play in the fight against authoritarianism? A powerful one.

🎨 We've launched a new tool that showcases the transformative power of art & culture in the movement for inclusive democracy. Explore how creative practice can strengthen democratic futures →

Lessons on Broad Based Organizing from the Utah Compromise: A BOLD Case Study

We unpacked the behind-the-scenes organizing that made it possible:
🫂 Years of relationship-building laid the groundwork for unlikely coalitions.
⛪️ Framing around faith, family, and fairness made space for real compromise.
📌 Tension, discomfort, and honest negotiation were all part of the process.

Lessons on Broad Based Organizing from the Utah Compromise: A BOLD Case Study

🚨 Our latest report explores The Utah Compromise—one of the most compelling case studies of recent memory: a red state, a deeply conservative legislature, and a powerful faith institution working across their differences to secure historic LGBTQ+ protections.

Here's what we learned:

Forging Effective Corruption Narratives to Counter Democratic Erosion Harnessing public concern over rising corruption makes sense for U.S. democracy advocates—but doing so can fuel apathy and authoritarianism unless corruption narratives also cultivate hope.

Effective stories:
📌 Focus on lived experiences of injustice than abstract anti-corruption pledges
📌 Connect corruption to everyday harms like public health, education, and safety
📌 Emphasize accountability and possibility to counter fatalism and build public trust

Forging Effective Corruption Narratives to Counter Democratic Erosion Harnessing public concern over rising corruption makes sense for U.S. democracy advocates—but doing so can fuel apathy and authoritarianism unless corruption narratives also cultivate hope.

Corruption narratives shape how people understand democracy and whether they believe change is possible.

📌 This new piece from @carnegieendowment.org (which features The Horizons Project) unpacks the stories that work (and don’t) when fighting democratic erosion.

Check our @mariajstephan.bsky.social's full keynote presentation →

Songs in the Key of Resistance: A Movement Songbook - Kairos Center We Rise: A Movement Songbook draws on a rich history of social movement music, both old and new.

🎵 Songs in the Key of Resistance (from @kairoscenter.org ):

📖 Our case studies & analysis on faith and resistance: horizonsproject.us/tag/faith/

The Faithful Fight: Toolkits for countering authoritarianism - Protect Democracy The Faithful Fight brings together strategies from religious leaders across denominations to help communities mobilize against authoritarian actions.

She also lifted up tools for action:

🧰 Our Faithful Fight Toolkits (in collab with @protectdemocracy.org): protectdemocracy.org/work/the-fai...

Some key insights:

📌 Faith communities are essential to organizing - providing sanctuary, holding symbolic power, & building bridges across movements.
⛪️ Authoritarianism thrives on co-opting religion. Faith leaders must reclaim moral clarity & resist scapegoating and nationalist frames.

🕊️ What does nonviolence look like in the face of authoritarianism?

At the @paxchristiusa.bsky.social Annual Conference, The Horizons Project's Co-Lead Maria J. Stephan delivered a powerful keynote on reclaiming the strategic and moral power of nonviolence in this moment.

THE PILLARS PROJECT: Labor Unions Why should labor unions and professional associations care about authoritarianism?

📌 Looking to organize within your union or professional association? This toolkit has stories, case studies, and strategies for shifting power and defending democracy from the inside. →

Unions Join Unlikely Allies to Defend American Elections On Election Day 2020, The AFL-CIO and US Chamber of Commerce, amongst other partners, released a statement calling for the respect of election results and the peaceful transfer of power. The notable c...

📌 When democracy was under threat, labor unions teamed up with business and faith to defend our vote. In 2020, @aflcio.org, @seiu.org, @aft.org , @unitehere.org, and a few unlikely allies stood in solidarity to ensure every vote was counted and every official stayed safe. #LaborDay #LaborMovements →

Tunisian Unions Support the Arab Spring The Tunisian General Labour Union’s (UGTT) well-established and far-reaching infrastructure enabled it to play an indispensable role in Tunisia’s revolution. While the UGTT was originally a core pilla...

📌 In Tunisia, labor unions helped turn protests into a democratic breakthrough. Their organizing power helped anchor the Arab Spring and paved the way for real reform. #LaborDay #WorkerPower #ProDemocracy #LaborMovements →

Indian Farmers’ Unions Block Roads to Bolster Democracy In response to the anti-democratic passage of the Farm Bills in India, farm unions across various regions coordinated a coalition of 32 farm unions who came together in a nonviolent movement demanding...

📌 When India’s democracy was threatened, millions of farmers blocked roads in one of the largest strikes in human history - defending their rights and democratic process. #LaborDay #WorkerPower #ProDemocracy #LaborMovements →

American Unions Mobilize Poll Workers Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, for the 2020 election poll workers were scarce, in person voting was challenging and unfeasible in some jurisdictions, and typical “get out the vote” campaigns were stymi...

📌 Ahead of U.S. elections, unions mobilized members to become poll workers, fighting voter suppression and building trust in our electoral system from the ground up. #LaborDay #WorkerPower #ProDemocracy #LaborMovements →

Unions Light the Candle of Democracy in South Korea In response to anti-democratic repression and high levels of corruption, labor unions in South Korea had organized strikes to protest government oppression in 2014, yet they had been largely ineffecti...

📌 In South Korea, labor unions stepped up during a constitutional crisis - lighting candles, taking to the streets, and helping end a presidency. #LaborDay #WorkerPower #ProDemocracy #LaborMovements →

Teachers in Hungary Oppose Democratic Backsliding One key target of democratic backsliding in Hungary is the education system. The dismissal of five teachers in 2022 for striking galvanized tens of thousands of teachers, parents, and students to prot...

📌 In Hungary, teachers became the resistance. Faced with authoritarian laws and gag orders, educators led strikes and civil disobedience to protect democratic freedoms. #LaborDay #WorkerPower #ProDemocracy #LaborMovements →

Labor Unions Join the Fight for Civil Rights A key element of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s (SCLC) strategy was leveraging existing communities to then mobilize individuals into a collective movement. Accordingly, the SCLC devel...

📌 In the U.S. South, labor unions stood shoulder to shoulder with civil rights leaders proving that the fight for worker justice and racial justice has always been connected. #LaborDay #WorkerPower #ProDemocracy #LaborMovements →

🧵 Labor Day is more than a long weekend.

At The Horizons Project, we believe labor movements are essential democratic actors. Around the world, unions have resisted censorship, challenged autocratic regimes, and mobilized to protect elections.

Check out these incredible examples...

Happy Labor Day to All Workers Everywhere!

Now is the Time to Organize! Fight! & Win!
#LaborDay #WorkersDeserve

Unions Join Unlikely Allies to Defend American Elections On Election Day 2020, The AFL-CIO and US Chamber of Commerce, amongst other partners, released a statement calling for the respect of election results and the peaceful transfer of power. The notable c...

Unions Join Unlikely Allies to Defend American Elections

horizonsproject.us/unions-join-...

Unions Light the Candle of Democracy in South Korea In response to anti-democratic repression and high levels of corruption, labor unions in South Korea had organized strikes to protest government oppression in 2014, yet they had been largely ineffecti...

Unions Light the Candle of Democracy in South Korea

horizonsproject.us/unions-light...

American Unions Mobilize Poll Workers Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, for the 2020 election poll workers were scarce, in person voting was challenging and unfeasible in some jurisdictions, and typical “get out the vote” campaigns were stymi...

American Unions Mobilize Poll Workers

horizonsproject.us/american-uni...