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day of action
Progressive Organizers Ready Nationwide "Not My Presidents' Day" Protests
"We the people will not live under a king," said one progressive organizer. "We will not allow Trump and Musk's administrative coup."
Feb 14, 2025
Organizers of nationwide protests planned for Monday, when the U.S. will mark Presidents' Day, appealed to those who oppose President Donald Trump and billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk's agenda with a simple message ahead of the actions: "All are welcome. You are not alone. Defend equality. Fight fascism."
The call for defenders of democracy to gather with like-minded people comes nearly four weeks into the Trump administration's "flood the zone" strategy, aimed at overwhelming its political opponents with a relentless flow of executive orders, attacks on long-held constitutional rights, and the attempted takeover of agencies across the federal government.
"In unity, we find our power; in protecting one another, we build our movement," said the 50501 Movement—whose name stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one day—after organizing nationwide rallies against Trump and Musk earlier this month. "Let's stay vigilant, compassionate, and strong as we work towards a brighter, more just future."
The second nationwide protest day is titled "Not My Presidents' Day," with attendees rejecting Project 2025, the right-wing policy agenda whose proposals have been well-represented by the administration's actions so far; Musk's takeover of agencies including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the U.S. Agency for International Development through the executive order-created Department of Government Efficiency; and Trump's appointment of Cabinet members with numerous corporate ties and conflicts of interest, despite the president's campaign last year focusing partly on the high cost of living for working people.
"We the people will not live under a king," said progressive organizer Kai Newkirk. "We will not allow Trump and Musk's administrative coup."
On February 5, said the 505051 Movement, "grassroots organizers—without any budget, centralized structure, or official backing—pulled off over 80 peaceful protests in all 50 states."
"The protests were covered by every major media outlet, showing the world that the American working class will not sit idly by as plutocrats rip apart their democratic institutions and civil liberties while undermining the rule of law," said the group, which partnered with the organization Political Revolution to organize the demonstrations.
More than 75 protests have been scheduled for Monday so far, with a number of events planned at state Capitols.
A representative for the 50501 Movement, which grew out of a discussion on the social media platform Reddit, toldNewsweek that the group is pushing Not My Presidents' Day "as more of a 'day of action,' which would include email and phone banking, participating in volunteer activities that directly help those affected by Trump's policies, donating to charities, etc. There will still primarily be protests, though."
The organizers are also planning other nationwide protests in the future, with some supporters discussing another public action on March 5, according to Newsweek.
"This movement is about more than just one day—it's about standing firm in our beliefs and seeing it through, no matter the challenges we may face," organizers said in a social media post.
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'Families' Needs Over Corporate Greed': US Childcare Providers, Parents Hold Day of Action
"If our leaders don't step up and legislate a solution to this crisis, we all will pay the price of an underfunded system," said organizers.
May 13, 2024
Flanked by her fellow childcare providers from Minnesota's Iron Range region at a press conference in St. Paul, Shawntel Gruba on Monday explained that the childcare center she runs had shut its doors for the day to "demonstrate how vitally important childcare is to our community."
"We are the workforce behind the workforce," said Gruba, CEO of Iron Range Tykes in Mountain Iron. "Without us, no one goes to work."
Gruba is one of more than 1,300 childcare providers across the U.S. who are participating in the National Day Without Childcare on Monday, organized by grassroots group Community Change Action and supported by other organizations including the National Domestic Workers Alliance, the National Women's Law Center (NWLC), and the Main Street Alliance.
At the press conference before the local coalition boarded a bus to St. Paul for a rally, Gruba explained that 5 out of 7 childcare centers across the Iron Range are participating in the Day Without Childcare, which organizers said was taking place "with the support of the families" served by caregivers.
On the third annual Day Without Childcare, providers are calling for emergency federal childcare funding, nearly eight months after Republicans in Congress allowed billions of dollars in pandemic-era funding to expire.
"Childcare is expensive to provide, just like K-12 [education] is expensive to provide," said Gruba. "Our main source of income to meet those expenses is what families pay. The national and state recommendation for affordable childcare is that no family should pay more than 7% of their annual income for childcare. Families are paying two, three, to even four times more than that."
According to an analysis published by the NWLC earlier this month, in states where legislatures have not passed increased childcare allocations since last September, nearly a quarter of families are now unable to find or pay for care as providers have had to limit enrollment, shut down, or raise prices.
"If our leaders don't step up and legislate a solution to this crisis, we all will pay the price of an underfunded system," said Community Change Action.
Organizers are demanding an equitable childcare system built on racial and gender justice, thriving wages for childcare providers—whose median hourly wage in the U.S. is $14.60—and affordable and accessible childcare for all families.
Community Change Action called on the federal government, including Republican lawmakers, to finally prioritize "families' needs over corporate greed."
"Thanks to our decades of organizing, we made progress with the Democratic-led Congress and Biden administration to put our childcare system on a more secure footing," said Community Change Action co-president Dorian Warren. "Meanwhile, some members of the GOP are refusing to pass emergency funding for childcare, pushing our system to the brink of collapse once again. But time is running out on the game of politics they're playing with our lives. We will demand that they do their jobs and prioritize families. Our childcare system is in crisis—but our childcare movement is stronger than ever."
Warren said he and his wife, who rely on an early childhood education center, "organized the providers, parents, and children" at the facility "to walk out and participate in a mini march around the building" to mark the Day Without Childcare.
"As parents, we need to stand with early educators because our system is on the brink of collapse," said Warren. "Providers and families' livelihoods are hanging in the balance. We need a fully funded, 21st-century childcare system that allows everyone to thrive."
More than 80 events were planned around the country, including rallies, marches, and press conferences to highlight childcare providers' demand for more public funding to solve the childcare crisis, which, according to a report last year by ReadyNation, sucks $122 billion out of the nation's economy as parents are forced out of jobs.
Childcare providers and supporters marched through New York City to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul's office, rallying against the omission of workforce funds in the state budget, while grassroots group SPACEs in Action organized lobby visits to Washington, D.C.'s City Council building. Teachers, children, and advocates rallied and lobbied for the restoration of $70 million to the D.C. Early Childhood Education Pay Equity Fund, which had helped bring childcare providers' salaries in line with that of public school teachers.
On Sunday night, the group also projected the message, "Childcare Is Everyone's Business" onto the building.
Community Change Action said the number of participants at dozens of public actions this year would set a record for the National Day Without Childcare.
"It is crucial that policymakers understand the vital role early learning centers play in our communities. We are not simply businesses: We are essential educational institutions deserving of adequate funding and support," said Terri Simms, who closed her childcare center in Dayton, Ohio for the day. "I urge you to stand with us in advocating for meaningful changes to our childcare system that reflects the true value of our services. Our survival depends on it, as does the future of the countless families who rely on us for quality early childhood education."
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If KXL Opponents 'Draw The Line,' Will Obama Dare to Cross?
National day of action against tar sands pipeline planned for Saturday
Sep 17, 2013
In a coordinated day of action this Saturday, people in the U.S. will gather in their own communities nationwide to deliver what they hope will be a dramatic final public salvo in their multi-year campaign aimed at forcing President Barack Obama to reject the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.
The fight against the project remains the main focus of the climate advocacy group 350.org--which is spearheading the "Draw The Line" protests--and thousands of their supporters have signed up to "protect their communities from climate change and show President Obama that there is no turning back--to keep his climate promises" by rejecting the pipeline that would transport the world's "dirtiest fuel" from Alberta, Canada to the U.S. Gulf coast.
Though it remains uncertain when Obama might make a final decision, according to 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben, the president's recent rhetoric on climate change indicates that he will not approve the project.
"The president said this summer that if Keystone would significantly increase carbon emissions then he would block it," said McKibben in an interview with Politico published on Tuesday. "If he follows that standard in good faith, he can't support the pipeline. The science and economics of it are completely clear. If he does what he says he'll do, he won't approve it. And if he doesn't approve it, it'll be a good deal. It'll be the first time a world leader said a major project would not happen because of climate change. ... If he does approve it, then I'm afraid, on this issue, it'll be clear he talks small action."
Despite welcoming Obama's recent rhetoric, however, climate activists are not yet prepared to declare victory over the pipeline fight. As McKibben signaled in a recent email to supporters, even if "the endgame on KeystoneXL" might be fast approaching, opponents will have their "fingers crossed" and "fists clenched" during the final weeks or months before an official announcement by the White House.
In preparation for Saturday, 350.org has been promoting this single Facebook event page to which more than 40,000 people have already RSVP'd.
"The idea is simple," said Duncan Meisel, an online organizer for 350.org, explaining the social media approach. "We'll use our collective reach as a network to invite as many of our friends to one Facebook Event with information about the day of action, and in the process reach tens of thousands of our friends as we prepare to take to the streets to stop Keystone XL and the tar sands."
The group also created this online organizers guide to help local groups plan and execute events and released this video to engage and energize potential participants:
Bill McKibben: On Sept. 21st, Draw the Line on Keystone XLFor the past two years, a grassroots movement has erupted to confront President Obama over the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.
Not organized in isolation, however, the day is being co-sponsored by a bounty of other environmental and social justice organizations, including Friends of the Earth, Bold Nebraska, Sierra Club, Better Futures Project, Credo Action, the Energy Action Coalition, Oil Change International, Rainforest Action Network. the Tar Sands Blockade, and others.
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