Why I Resist - Featuring CAP Community's Resistors & Changemakers
This month we are joined by Elizabeth Hurley and her story of moving from collective guilt to collective power.
Each month CAP will feature a new changemaker in the community
My name is Elisabeth Hurley. CAP’s wonderful Sonja Sivesind asked me to share how and why I find ways to resist the current administration.
I am an 81 year old American citizen of German descent. I was born during World War II when Hitler and the Nazis were still in power. During my school years, there was no acknowledgment of the atrocities that were committed against Jewish and Romani people, communists, mentally and physically disabled persons, or anyone who was perceived to be against the Nazi government. It was only later on when Germany tried to be open about its horrific past. In the 1960s and early 1970s, I handled restitution claims of former Nazi victims against the German Government. The more I learned about my birth country’s fascist history, the more I shuddered. I felt guilt and shame and had a strong feeling of responsibility for the actions of the Nazis, even though as a baby I was not and could not be directly involved. I learned that this kind of guilt is called collective guilt.
I learned that this kind of guilt is called collective guilt.
When Trump was elected in 2016 all I could think of was Hitler and the Nazis. I could not sleep for ten days or nights and became terribly ill. Luckily I came across various organizations fighting back against some of Trump’s actions like the Muslim ban. Among those organizations was Indivisible. I was intrigued because this new group was started by former staffers in the Obama White House, Leah Greenberg, and Ezra Levin. The two wrote the guide Indivisible: A Blueprint for Democracy which immediately went viral. It sparked a grassroot movement across the country and also helped me. I started feeling better, realizing that there were ways to fight back.
I started feeling better, realizing that
there were ways to fight back.
Indivisible’s movement emerged stronger than ever, maintaining one of the largest pro-democracy grassroots movement in the nation. As per Indivisible’s 2021 annual report, 3,060 Indivisible groups were active at that time, covering every congressional district. By now there are even more.
After Trump’s win in 2024 the couple immediately wrote an updated guide on how to fight against the fascist tendencies of the new administration. The guide is called A Practical Guide to Democracy on the Brink and is available via Indivisible@indivisibleguide 2024. It is thoughtfully done, very informative, and helpful.
Another source is On Tyranny - Twenty Lessons From The Twentieth Century by Historian Professor Timothy Snyder, written in 2016 and prevalent more than ever.
Organizing for Action
Over 47,000 Indivisible activists took 114,000 digital actions to advance an inclusive democracy and progressive values.
All of this is a lengthy way of sharing why I engage in resisting a fascist administration in the United States, my and our beloved country. Knowing what my parents’ generation did and what it led to I cannot stand by and do nothing. So, what do I do? Well, I have been working with the national Indivisible group since 2016, engaging by contacting Congress regarding appointments, bills up for a vote, and so on. I also started writing postcards to Democrats via Indivisible since 2016 to get out the vote.
Knowing what my parents’ generation did and what it led to
I cannot stand by and do nothing
In 2024 I found a wonderful group in West Seattle that is very engaged with postcard writing. We meet every Tuesday at the C&P Coffeehouse in West Seattle. Not only did we write to Democrats and Democrat-leaning people during the national election. We are now busy with special elections. On January 7, 2025, two Democrats were elected to the Virginia State Senate and House, respectively. We and many other folks wrote on their behalf. Currently, we are writing to get the vote out for Susan Crawford who is running for Wisconsin’s Supreme Court. Local and state elections - particularly also elections for judges - matter and can be a bulwark against horrific and at times unconstitutional decisions coming out of Washington, DC.
I have met wonderful people during these active weekly get-togethers at C&P. Being there gives a strong feeling of community. Some fellow postcard writers have shared that they no longer feel isolated or giving in to anxiety and depression. Instead they feel the power of doing something positive to put our country on a better course. In Mahatma Gandhi’s words, they can feel to be the change they wish to see.
Some fellow postcard writers have shared that they no longer feel
isolated or giving in to anxiety and depression.
If you have the time and desire to get even more involved, please look for Indivisible groups in your area and/or contact Indivisible nationwide. One particularly active group I know about is Wallingford Indivisible. Two of their members came to speak to our C&P group and were so convincing that many of us signed up with them, myself included. You do not have to live in Wallingford and you do not have to go to their meetings in person unless you like to. What is so special about this group is that they send out weekly emails with suggestions for federal and state-wide actions. They research every appointee, every bill before Congress, and so on. I have worked with them since I signed up and am quite impressed by their amazing research and insight.
Sonja asked what is giving me inspiration during these dark times. It’s simple. I have to do something when fascists take over our country and destroy our democracy. Trump was unfortunately elected partially with the help of Democrats who sat out the election because of the horrific killings in Gaza. There is more: Investigative Journalist Greg Palast detailed in a substantive report that Trump won because of huge voter suppression. You can easily google the article “Trump Lost, Voter Suppression Won” by Greg Palast in case you are interested.
After the Reichstag fire in Berlin in 1933 Hannah Arendt said the following: “I was no longer of the opinion that one can simply be a bystander.” I feel the same about Trump’s raging inferno and, like Hannah Arendt, I cannot stand by and do nothing.
I cannot stand by and do nothing
Elisabeth Hurley, Burien resident and grateful friend of CAP
Feeling Inspired?
✍🏾Take Action - A Template for Writing to Your Senators
“I am writing today with a sense of foreboding and urgency. You are a long-serving senator facing an unprecented extreme regime. An overarching risk is that well-intentioned politicians acting in good faith will try to negotiate deals with bad-faith actors and in doing so make concessions with nothing to show for it. They base their actions on the past they know, but the future will not be that way under this administration.
I urge you to begin by condemning the Nazi salutes by an unelected unconfirmed billionaire in the White House.
Then fight the nominations of unqualified and dangerous people including Hegseth, Gabbard, RFK Jr, Bondi, Patel, Oz, Vought (architect of Project 2025), Miller, Homan, or Musk who is expected to slash our safety nets as director of a so-called Dept. of Government Efficiency."