we’ve got


Dr. Essence Deming-Rivers Dr. Essence Deming-Rivers

How Nonprofits and Churches Can Combat Authoritarianism: A Practical Guide for Faith and Service Leaders

As authoritarianism rises in the United States, nonprofits and churches face a critical choice: comply with unjust policies or actively resist. This guide draws on historical resistance movements—from the Underground Railroad to Denmark's rescue of Jews during WWII—to provide faith and service leaders with practical strategies for protecting vulnerable communities. Learn how to minimize data collection to prevent targeting, build solidarity networks among professionals, declare meaningful sanctuary, create shadow safety nets for those denied services, and pivot funding toward immediate defense. Whether you're leading a congregation, running a nonprofit, or managing philanthropic resources, this guide offers actionable steps for the coming week, month, and quarter—plus protocols for extra-legal resistance if formal systems fail. History teaches us that collective moral refusal can stop authoritarian enforcement in its tracks. The question isn't whether you have the power to resist—it's whether you'll use it. Read the full guide to understand your role in protecting human dignity and discover how institutional courage can make mass deportations and human rights violations logistically and politically impossible.

Read More