Things feel really hard right now. Multi-hundred-million dollar judgements have been leveled against protest organizations, students are being kidnapped off the street because they dared speak out against the US’s war machine, and hard-fought minor animal welfare improvements are being reversed or delayed. Numbers at demos seem to be dwindling, and with that will come a dearth of willing and capable grassroots leaders. The media is barely covering resistance efforts and the public feels increasingly apathetic. 

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It’s moments like this where I really start to question the point of even trying. I imagine you might be feeling something similar. It’s hard not to. I get this feeling in waves. I’ve felt it before and I’ll feel it again, and I do know it will pass. But it’s been extra strong the last few weeks. Here’s what’s helping me to get out of the rut.

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• Learning that there’s more resistance than we think. I was absolutely shocked to hear that there were more recorded protests in these first three months of Trump’s administration than there were in the first three months of his first term. These protests are taking different forms, moving from one-off mass protests towards economic noncooperation, and the media doesn’t seem to cover them as much, but they’re happening. I was one of the people who felt like everyone just sighed and gave up, but that is not the case. It motivates me to know that people are fighting back. 

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• Remembering that when something isn’t working, it doesn’t mean it’s time to quit, it means it’s time to adjust. Perhaps our tactics or ways of mobilizing from the past are no longer as effective as they used to be. That’s a clue to spend more time brainstorming, reading, and experimenting. The resistance of 2025 might not look like the resistance of 2017. That’s okay. In fact, sociologist Doug McAdam has demonstrated that tactical innovation was critical for the continued success of the civil rights movement. As organizers introduced new tactics, movement activity (‘insurgency’) rose dramatically. This was followed by a lull in activity as the opposition figured out how to counter the new tactic, then followed by another peak in activity as organizers innovated with a new tactic. For example, bus boycotts took off significantly with the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, which inspired other cities to use this tactic as well. It was effective, but the opposition eventually adapted by using legal challenges against boycotters, such as suing them for operating a “bus system” (their carpools) without a license, as well as threats of or actual violence. Bus boycotts were also only really possible in large urban cities with an incredibly well-organized and dedicated base. Movement activity slowed, but rather than continue on with bus boycotts for the next decade, the movement adapted and lunch counter sit-ins took off. As these stopped being as effective, they moved to Freedom Rides. The animal rights movement should similarly look for opportunities to experiment with new tactics. 

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• Reflecting on other times I’ve felt like this. I’m reminding myself that I didn’t know past victories would happen until they happened. We don’t know what is right around the corner, and we don’t know for certain what ripple effects our actions are having. For years, it felt like Farmer John, the massive pig slaughterhouse in LA, would never close. There were vigils, protests, investigations, and civil disobedience, and they gave no sign of letting up... until they closed down in 2023. It was the same with Golden Gate Fields, the horse racing track in Berkeley that shuttered their doors in 2024 after years of protests. And who would have thought that an investigation of Ridglan Farms, a notorious beagle breeding facility in Wisconsin, from 2017 would lead to criminal charges against the activists in 2021, to a trial that never happened in 2024, to a successful motion for a special prosecutor to investigate and prosecute Ridglan in 2025. Our current struggles may be leading to tomorrow’s wins. 

• Giving myself some grace. I’m not the one who created all these problems and it’s okay if I don’t know how to fix them or if I don’t always know what to do. Of course I feel tired and worried. Feelings are just feelings. It’s important to acknowledge them, and take care of yourself, and rest, but it’s also okay to just do things while scared or anxious or tired or unmotivated. 

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• Finding gratitude for every single person engaged in the struggle and for the small wins. In a climate that is so challenging, I am trying to take time to appreciate how incredible it is that people are resisting and speaking up, and that people are taking risks and putting themselves outside their comfort zones for something bigger than themselves.

• Reminding myself that “dropping out” of politics is exactly what those in power want. I was at a small conference earlier this month and one of the presenters laid out a stark warning: the US is following in the footsteps of Turkey and Hungary, descending further and further into fascism, and a sign that this was happening in those countries was that the population just stopped engaging with politics. The ‘economy’ became all that mattered and those in power could slowly erode liberty and democracy because people stopped paying attention. Now is the time to engage. 

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• Considering the alternative. What else would we do? Stay home? Watch TV? That may feel good in the short term, and everyone needs rest and leisure, but I firmly believe that, in the long-term, our lives are better in the struggle. 

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I don’t always know how to find the balance between having a sober assessment of the state of our movement, and being positive and hopeful knowing that there is no progress without struggle and that we do not know what the future holds. Delusional optimism is not the answer, but neither is doomsaying.

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I do know that every person who joins the movement and takes action helps every other person lean a little more towards hope and a little further away from despair. It’s a collective struggle and our impacts are exponential. Join the resistance today.