Maria J. Stephan
@mariajstephan.bsky.social
Civil resistance, nonviolent action, social movements, democracy, authoritarianism, political violence, peacebuilding.
On how brave teachers & educators around the world, from Norway (under Nazi occupation), Chile, Hungary, Venezuela, Russia, Turkey - and the US - have defended the right to learn and resisted authoritarianism in its various forms. @shankerinst.bsky.social www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/when-ed...
When Educators Confront Authoritarianism
Educators are critical to the maintenance of democratic institutions, norms, and freedoms.
www.shankerinstitute.org
November 14, 2025 at 12:06 AM
On how brave teachers & educators around the world, from Norway (under Nazi occupation), Chile, Hungary, Venezuela, Russia, Turkey - and the US - have defended the right to learn and resisted authoritarianism in its various forms. @shankerinst.bsky.social www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/when-ed...
On how Catholic leaders and communities around the world have confronted autocratic regimes and defended democratic freedoms, with lessons for faithful action in the US today. @horizonsprjt.bsky.social bit.ly/4hSOqDk
U.S. Catholics are facing an authoritarian threat. The church has been here before.
The Catholic Church in the United States today is facing a crucial test. Will Catholic leadership accommodate and adapt itself to authoritarian power? Or will it offer leadership to give hope, oppose authoritarian abuses and defend human freedom?
bit.ly
November 12, 2025 at 11:51 AM
On how Catholic leaders and communities around the world have confronted autocratic regimes and defended democratic freedoms, with lessons for faithful action in the US today. @horizonsprjt.bsky.social bit.ly/4hSOqDk
Exciting campaign that is already working, with Disney's stock plummeting. Let's keep up the momentum!
The empire has stricken back now we must rise! Support the actions happening across the country, September 21st by going to boycottdisneyabc.com - see toolkit with details on how to continue the pressure on Disney and its affiliates, like Hulu, ESPN, Sinclair, and Nexstar Media. #boycottdisneyabc
September 20, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Exciting campaign that is already working, with Disney's stock plummeting. Let's keep up the momentum!
Reposted by Maria J. Stephan
While religion has far too often been a tool of authoritarianism, faith institutions and communities have also been the life force of so many freedom movements, writes @mariajstephan.bsky.social.
The 6 superpowers that faith communities bring to nonviolent struggle
While religion has too often been a tool of authoritarianism, faith communities have also been the life force of so many freedom movements.
wagingnonviolence.org
September 11, 2025 at 5:39 PM
While religion has far too often been a tool of authoritarianism, faith institutions and communities have also been the life force of so many freedom movements, writes @mariajstephan.bsky.social.
Reposted by Maria J. Stephan
If I have any credibility with you from 20 years of reporting on rightwing & fascist movements, please listen when I beg you not to celebrate Charlie Kirk getting shot. Leave aside morality: this isn’t a match in dry grass, it’s a torch. We do not want what this could ignite & we would not win.
September 10, 2025 at 7:00 PM
If I have any credibility with you from 20 years of reporting on rightwing & fascist movements, please listen when I beg you not to celebrate Charlie Kirk getting shot. Leave aside morality: this isn’t a match in dry grass, it’s a torch. We do not want what this could ignite & we would not win.
Reposted by Maria J. Stephan
Okay now this is impressive!
Sound on!
Sound on!
September 6, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Okay now this is impressive!
Sound on!
Sound on!
Reposted by Maria J. Stephan
🕊️ What does nonviolence look like in the face of authoritarianism?
At the @paxchristiusa.bsky.social Annual Conference, The Horizons Project's Co-Lead Maria J. Stephan delivered a powerful keynote on reclaiming the strategic and moral power of nonviolence in this moment.
At the @paxchristiusa.bsky.social Annual Conference, The Horizons Project's Co-Lead Maria J. Stephan delivered a powerful keynote on reclaiming the strategic and moral power of nonviolence in this moment.
paxchristiusa.org
September 2, 2025 at 5:50 PM
🕊️ What does nonviolence look like in the face of authoritarianism?
At the @paxchristiusa.bsky.social Annual Conference, The Horizons Project's Co-Lead Maria J. Stephan delivered a powerful keynote on reclaiming the strategic and moral power of nonviolence in this moment.
At the @paxchristiusa.bsky.social Annual Conference, The Horizons Project's Co-Lead Maria J. Stephan delivered a powerful keynote on reclaiming the strategic and moral power of nonviolence in this moment.
Tonight! Join the One Million Rising training series, where we'll discuss strategies and tactics of strategic noncooperation - critical to defending our freedoms and our communities during this time. www.mobilize.us/nokings/even...
One Million Rising: Strategic Non-Cooperation to Fight Authoritarianism · No Kings
Across the country, authoritarian forces are getting bolder and more dangerous. Trump and his allies are not hiding their agenda: mass deportations, rollbacks of civil rights, weaponized courts, and f...
www.mobilize.us
July 16, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Tonight! Join the One Million Rising training series, where we'll discuss strategies and tactics of strategic noncooperation - critical to defending our freedoms and our communities during this time. www.mobilize.us/nokings/even...
Join us this Wednesday for a discussion about how legal practitioners from around the world have upheld the rule of law in the context of rising authoritarianism and democratic backsliding. @horizonsprjt.bsky.social @protectdemocracy.org @americanbar.org
What can American lawyers learn from global initiatives to uphold the rule of law? Join our webinar "Lessons Learned from Abroad" with Mikolaj Pietrzak and Maria Stephan! 📆 Wed, July 16, 2025 🕰️ 11 am - 12 pm EDT. Register HERE ➡️ zoom.us/webinar/regi...
July 14, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Join us this Wednesday for a discussion about how legal practitioners from around the world have upheld the rule of law in the context of rising authoritarianism and democratic backsliding. @horizonsprjt.bsky.social @protectdemocracy.org @americanbar.org
Reposted by Maria J. Stephan
Reposted by Maria J. Stephan
the story today is of a profoundly low energy military parade being met with millions of americans in nationwide protests denouncing the dictatorial pretensions of the president
June 15, 2025 at 1:11 AM
the story today is of a profoundly low energy military parade being met with millions of americans in nationwide protests denouncing the dictatorial pretensions of the president
Reposted by Maria J. Stephan
I encourage everyone to consider attending one of the many demonstrations planned for tomorrow across the country.
Show up. Demand accountability. Peacefully protest.
Find the rally closest to you: NoKings.org
Show up. Demand accountability. Peacefully protest.
Find the rally closest to you: NoKings.org
June 13, 2025 at 8:29 PM
I encourage everyone to consider attending one of the many demonstrations planned for tomorrow across the country.
Show up. Demand accountability. Peacefully protest.
Find the rally closest to you: NoKings.org
Show up. Demand accountability. Peacefully protest.
Find the rally closest to you: NoKings.org
Reposted by Maria J. Stephan
“We are relieved that David is free and reunited with his family and we are deeply grateful to the hundreds of elected officials, civil rights leaders, labor partners and allies from across the nation who stood in solidarity...” @seiupres.bsky.social, April Verrett's full statement: seiu.co/3ZYw24f
June 9, 2025 at 11:27 PM
“We are relieved that David is free and reunited with his family and we are deeply grateful to the hundreds of elected officials, civil rights leaders, labor partners and allies from across the nation who stood in solidarity...” @seiupres.bsky.social, April Verrett's full statement: seiu.co/3ZYw24f
Reposted by Maria J. Stephan
An Attack on One Is an Attack on All.
Stand Up. Speak Out.
Defend Workers. Protect Immigrants. Fight for Our Freedoms.
📍 Find an action near you and show up to demand:
✊The release of David Huerta
🛑 An immediate end to ICE raids
📣 The right to protest without fear
🔗 bit.ly/FreeDavidEndRaids
Stand Up. Speak Out.
Defend Workers. Protect Immigrants. Fight for Our Freedoms.
📍 Find an action near you and show up to demand:
✊The release of David Huerta
🛑 An immediate end to ICE raids
📣 The right to protest without fear
🔗 bit.ly/FreeDavidEndRaids
#FreeDavidEndRaids
On Friday afternoon, military-gear-clad ICE agents launched aggressive raids throughout Los Angeles. At one location, SEIU-USWW President David Huerta was assaulted, injured and detained while advocat...
seiu.co
June 8, 2025 at 8:10 PM
An Attack on One Is an Attack on All.
Stand Up. Speak Out.
Defend Workers. Protect Immigrants. Fight for Our Freedoms.
📍 Find an action near you and show up to demand:
✊The release of David Huerta
🛑 An immediate end to ICE raids
📣 The right to protest without fear
🔗 bit.ly/FreeDavidEndRaids
Stand Up. Speak Out.
Defend Workers. Protect Immigrants. Fight for Our Freedoms.
📍 Find an action near you and show up to demand:
✊The release of David Huerta
🛑 An immediate end to ICE raids
📣 The right to protest without fear
🔗 bit.ly/FreeDavidEndRaids
Reposted by Maria J. Stephan
Great show! And more from one of your guests, the ever-insightful @mariajstephan.bsky.social, here at @justsecurity.org:
www.justsecurity.org/113995/colle...
www.justsecurity.org/113995/colle...
Big Tents and Collective Action Can Defeat Authoritarianism
The journey from individual angst to collective action takes time, vision, and commitment. It is also the pathway to victory.
www.justsecurity.org
June 6, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Great show! And more from one of your guests, the ever-insightful @mariajstephan.bsky.social, here at @justsecurity.org:
www.justsecurity.org/113995/colle...
www.justsecurity.org/113995/colle...
Reposted by Maria J. Stephan
I'm just glad one of these men has the nuclear codes and the other has all our personal data.
June 5, 2025 at 8:24 PM
I'm just glad one of these men has the nuclear codes and the other has all our personal data.
Reposted by Maria J. Stephan
Exactly right: Big tents and collective action are the way to defeat authoritarianism, by @mariajstephan.bsky.social www.justsecurity.org/113995/colle...
Big Tents and Collective Action Can Defeat Authoritarianism
The journey from individual angst to collective action takes time, vision, and commitment. It is also the pathway to victory.
www.justsecurity.org
June 3, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Exactly right: Big tents and collective action are the way to defeat authoritarianism, by @mariajstephan.bsky.social www.justsecurity.org/113995/colle...
Yup. Great example of a successful targeted noncooperation campaign. We're gonna need more of that. Amazon next?
The anti-Tesla movement is one of the most successful cases of social coordination in American history. In the span of six months the Tesla brand has been made radioactive.
This isn’t a subjective view. You can see it in the data.
This isn’t a subjective view. You can see it in the data.
Death of a Cybertruck Salesman: How Trump Killed Tesla
Schadenfreude is a bargain at $5.60 per mile.
www.thebulwark.com
May 20, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Yup. Great example of a successful targeted noncooperation campaign. We're gonna need more of that. Amazon next?
Thursday, May 1st will be a powerful day of action: #MayDayStrong led by unions & civic groups; and the #LawDayofAction led by lawyers & judges. Collective action by unions & professional associations is really key. Join an event near you!
April 29, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Thursday, May 1st will be a powerful day of action: #MayDayStrong led by unions & civic groups; and the #LawDayofAction led by lawyers & judges. Collective action by unions & professional associations is really key. Join an event near you!
"The price for those who stand directly in the way of Trump’s plans may indeed grow steeper in the coming months and years. But these early acts, as much as they are oppositional, also point to a coherent vision of a just and compassionate society." www.newyorker.com/news/the-wee...
So You Want to Be a Dissident?
A practical guide to courage in Trump’s age of fear.
www.newyorker.com
April 18, 2025 at 1:12 PM
"The price for those who stand directly in the way of Trump’s plans may indeed grow steeper in the coming months and years. But these early acts, as much as they are oppositional, also point to a coherent vision of a just and compassionate society." www.newyorker.com/news/the-wee...
"I’m really not a movement guy. I don’t naturally march in demonstrations or attend rallies that I’m not covering as a journalist. But this is what America needs right now." www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/o...
Opinion | What’s Happening Is Not Normal. America Needs an Uprising That Is Not Normal. (Gift Article)
It will take a concerted effort by every sector of our society to respond to Trumpism’s threat.
www.nytimes.com
April 18, 2025 at 1:08 PM
"I’m really not a movement guy. I don’t naturally march in demonstrations or attend rallies that I’m not covering as a journalist. But this is what America needs right now." www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/o...
Excellent article, with a compelling blend of scholarly and activist perspectives. I'm so glad @keyachatterjee.bsky.social brought the joy! :)
Courage is contagious. But how do we catch it?
For months, @amifieldsmeyer.bsky.social and I have been asking dissidents and activists from around the world how we can topple authoritarianism.
We assembled their lessons into a field guide to courage.
www.newyorker.com/news/the-wee...
For months, @amifieldsmeyer.bsky.social and I have been asking dissidents and activists from around the world how we can topple authoritarianism.
We assembled their lessons into a field guide to courage.
www.newyorker.com/news/the-wee...
So You Want to Be a Dissident?
A practical guide to courage in Trump’s age of fear.
www.newyorker.com
April 12, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Excellent article, with a compelling blend of scholarly and activist perspectives. I'm so glad @keyachatterjee.bsky.social brought the joy! :)
Reposted by Maria J. Stephan
What's most significant about today's day of action is the sheer number of locations where protests took place -- more than 1000 towns and cities, all over the country.
That's only happened one or two times before *in all of American history.*
That's only happened one or two times before *in all of American history.*
HOLY SHIT. I grew up two stoplights over from Flower Mound. I never in my life would’ve expected to see a protest like this there. WOW.
Flower Mound, Texas
April 5, 2025 at 8:40 PM
What's most significant about today's day of action is the sheer number of locations where protests took place -- more than 1000 towns and cities, all over the country.
That's only happened one or two times before *in all of American history.*
That's only happened one or two times before *in all of American history.*
Reposted by Maria J. Stephan
Protests aren’t the only tool in the anti-authoritarian toolkit, but they’re incredibly important. Protests help us see each other; they make it feel safer to refuse to obey the dictator, and make it more possible for us to organize mass non-cooperation.
It’s an essential step in the process.
It’s an essential step in the process.
April 5, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Protests aren’t the only tool in the anti-authoritarian toolkit, but they’re incredibly important. Protests help us see each other; they make it feel safer to refuse to obey the dictator, and make it more possible for us to organize mass non-cooperation.
It’s an essential step in the process.
It’s an essential step in the process.