My latest episode launched this morning, with the incredible voice of Luna Safwan from Lebanon from Beirut, Lebanon. She’s in the midst of and reporting from the unprecedented mass protests there, where people are in the streets by the millions to demand a new government.
The spark was an arbitrary and outrageous tax on free What’s App calls, but protesters are now demanding the resignation of their entire cabinet. More than a quarter of the population is participating in strategic road blockages from one end of the country to the other.
Please check it out and share with friends. I’m also keeping the conversations going with my listeners on FlickChat, a social media app for podcasters. Look for us there as ResistanceMom!

The crisis of the Trump presidency escalates with the open embrace of foreign interference in our elections and the betrayal of US Kurdish allies in Syria. It’s time to look to leaders from movements that have successfully used mass protest to force corrupt leaders to leave office. Our guest today, Saadi Rosado, is a member of the Collectiva Feminista en Construcciòn, and helped organize the six weeks of sustained protests in Puerto Rico this summer that convinced their Governor, Ricardo Rosselló to resign.

Clicking and commenting on campaigns online takes up more of our time than any other type of political work we do. In this episode I’m looking at how social media has developed over the past 12 years as a tool for social justice work. We’re adapting to an online environment that’s now been weaponized by the right, but the most important thing we can do is increase our commitment to face to face political work.

Experts say instead of trying to keep your kids away from the dangers of the internet we should help them be prepared for it. Dr Victoria Baines, former UK police officer and exec at Facebook guarding kids in online spaces, says don’t freak out when your kids encounter disturbing material online. Let them talk to you about it.

In addition to being clarifying and affirming, resistance work also hurts sometimes. Facing where the United States is politically right now puts you in touch with the violence being done to people of color, immigrants, Muslims, people with disabilities and women. We haven’t even begun to turn the tide yet, meaning we deal with fighting from behind every day.

Resilience is survival for those of us who can’t shrug off corruption, the abuses of vulnerable populations or our responsibility to keep defending democracy.Yvette Thijm is the Executive Director of Witness.org and a pioneer of strategies for addressing the depression and PTSD that affects human rights defenders around the world. This week’s episode looks at the stories we tell ourselves that can either set us up to collapse when the stresses peak, or give us a steady grounding to keep persisting.