11 Ways To Get Involved
Indivisible Akron is much more than "that group that does protests."
Over the last few months, I’ve gotten a lot of questions about what Indivisible Akron is and a lot of feedback like, “Oh, you’re that group that does the protests.” Yes. And no. We are so much more than “that group that does protests.”
This is what Indivisible Akron is about, and you can learn more from our Guide to Indivisible Akron. These are our areas of focus:
Visibility events such as protests and rallies
Coalition building with like-minded organizations
Spreading truth and battling misinformation, disinformation and mal-information
Educating and informing our members about Project 2025, MAGA, and alt-right attacks on democracy
Providing actionable items (CTAs, or calls to action) that enable people to get involved to the best of their abilities
Building a community that offers hope (I cannot stress the importance of this last one enough)
1. Attend a Meeting or Meetup
Indivisible Akron meets on the second Monday of the month. We are building our website, but for now, find out about upcoming events by subscribing to our Substack and watching for our weekly CTAs (calls to action). Here are upcoming events:
The People’s Social Hour (meets weekly on Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. at Mustard Seed in Highland Square (2nd floor). No RSVP is required, but here’s the link for more information.
Indivisible Akron’s LGBTQ+ working group meetup. The group meets monthly and is welcoming to LGBTQ+ community and friends. Here’s the link for the next meetup, July 22 at 6:00 p.m.
Indivisible Akron’s progressive book club. Books we’ve discussed include “Dear White Women,” “Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism,” and “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century.” This month we’re reading David Pepper’s “Saving Democracy” 2nd edition and/or “The People’s House.” The author will be our featured speaker on Aug. 11. Sign up for the July 23 6:00 p.m. book discussion. We’re pretty loose on reading requirements; anyone is welcome to join the discussion, even if you’ve only leafed through the book!
Indivisible Akron’s resilience group meetup. This group meets twice a month. The next meeting is Monday, July 28 at 5:30 p.m. RSVP for location.
Indivisible Akron’s next monthly meeting is a big one. Author David Pepper will speak about the topic of his latest book, ‘Saving Democracy: A User’s Manual for the Trump Era.’ RSVP required.
2. Hold a Fold-it-Forward Party
This video describes what Fold It Forward is about. If you’d like to hold your own fold-it-forward party, download the PDF for our mini zine and the folding instructions.
3. Write Postcards to Voters
»Community post-carding!
Writing alongside friends and fellow activists is a powerful way to connect with like-minded people and tap into the hope and joy that fill the room.
Join fellow activists on select Friday evenings for the Constant Campaign letter and postcard writing event. The organizers provide the postcards, messaging, and addresses. Bring a pen and, if possible, postcard stamps (or donations to offset the cost, which are 61 cents. Order them from the USPS online). To sign up for the next event click here.
»Hold your own postcard-writing event
Write postcards with friends! Sign up and go through a vetting process (it’s fairly simple), and then these organizations provide the addresses, messages and, in some cases, the postcards for the efforts. I like to get my postcards from Etsy.
4. Write Letters to Voters
Last year, I wrote 205 letters to voters in Florida, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania, and this year, my goal is to at least double that. Vote Forward provides the addresses and templates. You print the letters and supply the envelopes and stamps. Craft a nonpartisan personal message about why you vote (As in “I vote for leaders who prioritize working-class Americans” rather than “I only vote for Democrats”). There is a vetting process. I dropped screenshots at the end of this post so you can see what VoteFwd looks like. Learn more about Vote Forward campaigns.
5. Write Letters to the Editor
Does anyone still read letters to the editor (LTE)? They do! Not only do voters, readers and everyday people like us read letters to the editor, but so do elected officials. Their staffs track their name mentions, and some tracking tools can even track message sentiment (negative vs. positive). If you’d like to write letters to the editor, sign up here. The LTE team will help you craft your message and provide submission information to newspapers and publications.
6. 👉🏻Contact Elected Officials About 🔥Harmful🔥Policies & Legislation
If there is any one thing that you choose over the others, let it be this one.
In Ohio …
Ohioans Against Extremism has put together one of the most comprehensive and actionable documents I’ve seen. Their TAKE ACTION Google doc is updated continuously. Don’t let it overwhelm you. The 100-page document is organized by top priorities, items to support, and items to oppose. Clicking the links to learn more takes you to succinct summaries of the issues, along with actions to take and links to contact the proper elected officials. This is an excellent way for anyone who isn’t comfortable being on the front lines to send emails, write letters and make phone calls supporting policies that benefit working-class Americans and opposing policies that favor the wealthy elite.
Nationwide …
Download the 5 Calls app. This app makes it incredibly easy to make phone calls to U.S. legislators every day. The app helps to prioritize hot issues that matter most, and all you have to do is follow the prompts to dial. It even provides suggested scripts. Get 5calls and start dialing!
7. Support Grassroots Efforts Financially
For those moments when the calls to action feel overwhelming, and you think, “Can I just write a check?” Yes, you can. Sometimes, we need to take a break from the rallies, meetings, meetups, phone banks and postcard writing but we want to support the good work other people are doing. Been there, done that. Donate to Indivisible Akron. Donations are used to buy supplies for meetings, including printed materials. It also covers our operation expenses, including managing our website and online properties. We thank you for your support. We are a 501c4, which means donations are not tax deductible. They are, however, known to generate good karma.
Send a check to Indivisible Akron, PO Box 1, Barberton, Ohio 44203.
Make an online donation through Act Blue.
Support this Substack by clicking the subscribe button and making a pledge.
Make a cash or check donation in person at any of our events.
8. Follow Reliable Sources of Information
In addition to our own Substack, here are excellent sources of information:
Letters from an American by Heather Cox Richardson
Pepperspectives by David Pepper
Pod Save America from Crooked Media
Rachel Coyle’s Substack (co-founder of How Things Work at the Statehouse)
Signal Akron (for true local journalism done right (as in correct))
9. Get Involved in Working Groups
Learn more about Indivisible Akron, its history and ways to get involved in the working groups. Get the guide to Indivisible Akron.
10. Protest, Rally & Demonstrate
Follow Indivisible Akron and 50501 Ohio for upcoming days of action.
11. Collaborate with Other Progressive and Activist Groups
Indivisible Akron is committed to building relationships with other progressive and like-minded groups. We don’t have to agree on everything, but we do have to agree on protecting democracy, defending the constitution, and prioritizing people over billionaire profits. Get involved with organizations that align with you.
Vote Forward Images
This is what your dashboard looks like:
Here are my current campaigns:
This is what a voter adoption CTA looks like:
This is an example of a voter letter. The voter’s name and address have been redacted. The empty space in the middle is for you to write a personal message.
And here is a redacted sample of the instructions with the list of voters (names and addresses redacted).
Passion Led Us Here Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash.