We Are Indivisible

I have been a member of the Williamsburg Indivisible Group (WIG) since March of 2017.  Here is how the Indivisible website https://indivisible.org/about describes the movement:

Action by action, day by day, group by group, Indivisibles are remaking our democracy.

Brought together by a practical guide to resist the Trump agenda, Indivisible is a movement of thousands of group leaders and more than a million members taking regular, iterative, and increasingly complex actions to resist the GOP’s agenda, elect local champions, and fight for progressive policies.

They make calls. They show up. They speak with their neighbors. They organize. And through that work, they’ve built hundreds of mini-movements in support of their local values. And now, after practice, training, and repetition, they’ve built lasting power on their home turf and a massive, collective political muscle ready to be exercised each and every day in every corner of the country.

Indivisible was founded in response to Trump’s election - but we know that Trump is a symptom of a sick democracy, not its cause. We face two fundamental problems: first, our democracy was rigged from the start in favor of the white and wealthy. Second, in the last few decades, an alliance of white nationalists and the ultra-rich have been actively working to further undermine democracy and cement their hold on power permanently. That’s how we ended up with Trump. 

We have to build a democracy that reflects a broad, multiracial “we the people,” one that works for all of us and is sustained by all of us. Only then will we be able to achieve a progressive vision for our future.

Defeating a multi-decade right-wing takeover of American government ain’t easy. But we’re here to win, and we have a plan. Here’s how we’re doing it:

1. We Are Indivisible. Our opponents depend on a divide and conquer strategy, so we treat an attack on one like an attack on all. We show up for each other, and particularly for those facing the brunt of right-wing ideologues’ attacks - often immigrants, people of color, and low-income people. We share a vision: a real democracy, of, by, and for everyone.

2. Strong Leaders, Strong Groups, Strong Movement. We build and sustain our movement’s power by helping individuals take leadership. They grow and lead local Indivisible groups, take independent action, and coordinate with their fellow local leaders. As a movement, our power comes from coordinated national campaigns where we act together, indivisible.

3. Inside/Outside Strategy. We understand systems of power - like how Congress operates - and we work inside them to get results. That complements our outside strategy of locally-based constituent pressure to demand elected leaders, regardless of political party, work for our democracy. 

4. A Virtuous Cycle of Advocacy and Elections. We show up to advocate for policy wins in off-years and get out the vote in election years. These efforts reinforce each other to ensure our democracy works for all of us and that the people in power do too - or we will replace them with electeds who will.

Every blue dot is a local Indivisible chapter.  We’re everywhere — almost. If there’s not a chapter near you, it’s easy to form one.

If you have wondered (along with millions of Americans) if there’s a way out of the political and cultural dilemma America finds itself in, find an Indivisible Group to join.  If there’s not an Indivisible Group in your community, start one.  We don’t make as much noise as the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, or the Three-Percenters, but we’re sane, so that helps.

Indivisible was founded with two purposes: to defeat Trump and to defeat the Trump agenda.  We have accomplished the first goal (at least for now); the second goal is proving more problematic, as members of the Republican Party seem to be on the road to proving themselves to be more Trumpian than Trump.

In my community, there are three Indivisible Groups: 

• Williamsburg Indivisible Group (WIG) (This is my group)

• WJCC Indivisible

• Peninsula Indivisible

Some people belong to more than one group, as each group has a different focus.  We attend one another’s functions, and we work together on the election and campaign work.

If you want to join a group that makes a difference, find your local Indivisible group. You’ll meet people who share your values. In an environment where it’s easy to see only the hate and division, Indivisible provides optimism, focus, and cohesion.