We are the Iron Front. We stand against fascism.

But how? This is the question everyone is asking. Trump and his DOGE lackeys dismantle more government services every day. Each morning, we wake up to new hells. Some can’t bear to listen to the news for fear of what new blow is coming, and others can’t turn it off. And everyone wants to know, “What can we do about it?“

Resist. It’s all we have. And it is all we need.

The fascists come at us hard and fast, because they need to keep us off balance. They know that if we have a moment to catch our breath, we will push back. And if we push back, their house of cards begins to tumble.

So take a breath. Don’t wait for them to give you a moment. Take the moment. Make it. And then buckle up. Because we have work to do. And what is the work?

Resistance. I’ll say it again: it’s all we have, and it is all we need.

I know, I know: “Great, Freeman, but what does that mean?”

It means everything. Is it resistance to record an ICE raid and broadcast it on social media? Of course. Is it resistance to patrol the streets of Lincoln Heights to keep the Nazis at bay? Definitely. Is it resistance to turn out for the next protest in your state capital? Sure.

But it is also resistance to help a neighbor. To make a checkout worker’s day a little better. To volunteer at a food bank.

I’d heard a quote recently, but I didn’t know who had said it, so I googled it. And I learned something pretty significant. See, the quote was something like “In a world of fear and isolation, kindness is resistance.” But when you google that, you get an incredible range of results, from 18th century Christian hymns to Buddhist meditations to political posts like this one. Which tells me we’re on to something. And it’s not just a pretty talking point.

Fascists need us scared and isolated. The tool to fight that is kindness.

I got involved with the Iron Front to raise my fist in defiance. But defiance is only half the battle. And to win this fight, we’re going to need to use every tool at our disposal. Yes, we need to raise our fist. We need to show up and show out. We need to make everyone know that we will not stand for the destruction of our democracy. “All it takes for evil to win is for good to do nothing.” So we must be seen to be standing against evil.

But we must also do something. Not just express our anger and frustration, but also create an alternative. We must, even as we raise our fist, also reach out our open hand to bring people together, to welcome the frightened, the isolated, the marginalized, the vulnerable. Because we are all vulnerable while we are isolated. We are all marginalized by our fear. But when we extend our hands, we can join hands. And together, we are no longer vulnerable. Together, we can rise above our fears.

So, yes, Iron Front protests. We have done so, and we will continue to do so. But we also come together. We will have barbecues, and coffee kvetches, and our regular stitch and bitch gatherings. We will attend the events of our mutual aid partners, and meetings of our sibling organizations. They don’t quite share our philosophy? That’s okay. We’re not administering an ideological purity test — we’re extending an open hand. All are welcome. All are valued. And all are needed in the work. Because the work is bringing all together. The work is liberty and justice for all. The work is democracy.

And we start with a raised fist and an open hand.