News & Articles

These days, it’s very difficult to watch what’s happening around the country. Trump is threatening to arrest the mayor of Chicago and governor of Illinois. He’s sending ICE agents and the National Guard to Memphis, Portland and Chicago. And the president is declaring war against immigrants, Democrats, environmentalists, educators, scientists and anyone else who disagrees with him. 

In the introduction to his book The Burden of Conscience, Henry A. Giroux wrote, “We live in an era of emergency time – a flurry of crises in which time has become a disadvantage, and public time has become a necessity and call for militant thought and action. Without agency there is no possibility of imagining a future that does not echo the fascism of the past; without possibility there is no reason to acknowledge the very real material and ideological threats currently faced by the United States and the rest of the globe.”

Since the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20, the Trump administration has become a real threat to higher education, the environment, the LBGTQ community, women, health care professionals, scientists, minorities, immigrants and the list continues.

And this growing fascist threat has dismantled and destroyed the democratic ideals of our city and country in less than 365 days.

We now have our collective backs against the wall as we face the hypocrisy, violence, insanity and vulgarity of white privileged men who are fixated on puffing out their chests and violating others while also being emotionally constipated and using their anger to cover up their fears and insecurities.  

In this era of emergency time, you and I no longer have the luxury of sitting at home and posting our thoughts and feelings on social media, attending an outdoor protest once a month, making a financial contribution to our favorite organizations, and pointing a finger at someone else.

The three fingers pointing back at us are a visual reminder that we have to get out of our personal comfort zones and begin inconveniencing ourselves if we ever hope to see a more democratic, environmentally sustainable, socially just society here in Duluth and in every city around the country. 
Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor, in their book Solidarity, talk about the need for us to cultivate a greater sense of “transformative solidarity” as we create new communities which bring people together to build a freer and more just social order.

“The fighting faith of solidarity is grounded in the recognition that we are all sacred, that we need each other to survive, and that we cannot rely on a subject of elites to rule over or protect us…The fighting faith of solidarity means believing in other people and our collective capacities to learn, to reason, to be kind, to find solutions, and to act responsibly and ethically, even, or especially, in times of crisis,” stated Taylor and Hunt-Hendrix.

We are definitely living in an emergency time of crisis. The emergencies of climate change, racism, homelessness, economic disparity, gun violence and political theatrics are pulling us apart. And it’s going to get worse in the coming days, weeks, months and years.

It is imperative that in the fall and winter of 2025 we discover our collective capacities to embrace our curiosity, compassion and creativity to fight fascism in our homes, neighborhoods, local government, business community and throughout Duluth.

Each of us must show up, stand up, speak up, sign up and step up. It is our political, social and moral responsibility in this very fragile moment of our country and city’s history. 
T

here are so many groups in our city who are fighting the good fight. Join the fight by giving your time and energies to groups like Indivisible, Ecolibrium3, AICHO, Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light, Loaves and Fishes, Citizens Climate Lobby, the high school students at Harbor City International, CHUM, Diamiano Center, and the Interfaith Committee for Migrant Justice. 

“We live in an era of dire emergencies. The urgency of the times demands a politics that recognizes the looming threat of fascism,” stated Girioux.