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Nic Bennett (they/them) @nicbennett.bsky.social · 3h

key difference I hope we learn--as scientists & allies in this fight, "staying in our lane" never means we abandon others, that we leave the most vulnerable without our solidarity

"staying in our lane" means starting where we are linking arms with the most vulnerable, staying humble

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Nic Bennett (they/them) @nicbennett.bsky.social · 4h

Fannie Lou Hamer reminded us that "Nobody's Free Until Everybody's Free."

Looking at you my scientist/science-adjacent organizers. We must be disciplined and committed in this responsibility. It is not enough to ask for our privileges/funding/status back. We leave no one behind.

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Eric Reinhart @eric-reinhart.com · 10h

New article out this month on how doctors become fascists.

50% of German physicians joined the Nazi Party––twice the proportion of any other profession. US doctors today are arguably the most conservative in the world, and we're heading along a similar path.
drive.google.com/file/d/1CAk9...

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Nic Bennett (they/them) @nicbennett.bsky.social · 6h

"The fight against racism is our issue. It’s not something that we’re called on to help People of Color with. We need to become involved with it as if our lives depended on it because really, in truth, they do.” — Anne Braden

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Ricardo Levins Morales Art Studio @rlmartstudio.bsky.social · 7h

This week in 1988: 1,000+ ACT UP demonstrators shut down the FDA headquarters, demanding (and eventually winning) action on developing HIV/AIDS treatments. ACT UP's militant and creative actions always included powerful visual artwork, and paved the way for movements in the decades to come.

A photograph from the 1988 ACT UP demonstration outside the FDA. Many people are participating in a die-in on the front steps, holding mock tombstones with messages like "RIP - killed by the FDA" and "Dead from lack of drugs." A line of police officers (some with classic 80s mustaches) wearing riot helmets stands between them and the building; one cop wearing white gloves is walking through the demonstrators. Affixed to the 2nd story windows of the building is a series of posters and a large blank banner reading Silence = Death.

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Nic Bennett (they/them) @nicbennett.bsky.social · 7h

looking forward to this one and deepening the ways we care for one another as we resist ❤️‍🔥

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Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 1d

You can, in fact, just do stuff. No permission needed. Have an idea? Execute it.

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Reposted by Nic Bennett (they/them)

Chuck Taggart, Private Eye @sazeracla.bsky.social · 1d

“It's an entire political ad, from a major Democratic politician, that is exclusively defending trans rights. Has this ever happened before? I haven't had my morning coffee yet, but none are coming to mind.”

We need so much more of this! Stand up, Democrats!

Katelyn Boo-urns @katelynburns.com · 1d

I wrote a little about some of the little details you might have missed in this video and why it hit me so hard as a trans person this morning:

www.burnsnotice.com/you-have-to-...

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Nic Bennett (they/them) @nicbennett.bsky.social · 1d

it is an honor to organize with the folx I do

none of us are perfect, of course

but you can feel the dignity in someone who has decided to resist because they must stay aligned with their values

you can feel it in the rooms when love is the glue

when we fight

we win

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Nic Bennett (they/them) @nicbennett.bsky.social · 1d

we don't want to go "back to normal" in the sciences, so we think about blocking authoritarianism while also building back science-society relations that work for EVERYBODY

grateful to the @fascismbarometer.bsky.social and Ejerie Labs for all the lessons

#scienceAsSolidarity

fascismbarometer.bsky.social @fascismbarometer.bsky.social · 6d

This week, Alicia and I talk about political power, white supremacy, fascism, and the long tradition of resistance in Black, immigrant, and trans communities.

Listen now and stay tuned for part two, where we share concrete power-building moves.

www.fascismbarometer.org/podcast-epis...

The Recipe for Resistance: Alicia Garza on Scapegoats, Solidarity, and Strategy, Part 1 — The Fascism Barometer | Podcast and Learning Hub hosted by Ejeris Dixon

Ejeris Dixon welcomes back Alicia Garza for a clear-eyed read of the moment. Garza breaks down how fascism weaponizes white supremacy and emergency politics to manufacture enemies, demand a strongman,...

www.fascismbarometer.org

Reposted by Nic Bennett (they/them)

Liz Neeley @lizneeley.bsky.social · 1d

The specifics of the RIFs I’ve seen in group chats have been staggering. Bracing & reminding myself these are specifically intended to cause fear & distress.

Please share URLs for any good trackers you seen as they emerge. (I want more than OMB’s version) fedscoop.com/trump-federa...

Table of how many federal employees have been laid off in the latest RIF (Reduction in Force). This is from an OMB legal filing from Oct 10. For each agency, it lists number of fired employees, RIF notice date, and whether the administrations has recalled any of those employees to do work. Total headcount is 4,100 across 8 agencies. Treasury (1446) and HHS (1200) are the most affected. EPA (30) had the fewest layoffs this time.

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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · Nov 13

if i've learned one thing from doing union stuff while also doing other forms of organizing, it's that you're better off with people you disagree with who are nevertheless trying to do the same thing as you than with people you agree with who aren't trying to do anything

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Elad Nehorai @eladn.bsky.social · 2d

Some folks can't see the fascism, and so they have false optimism that causes them not to act against it.

Other folks see the fascism, and they feel so hopeless that they don't act against it.

What we need is a combination of the ability to see things honestly as well as to be empowered.

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Marc Fischer @marc-fischer.bsky.social · 4d

As you fight ICE in your neighborhoods, always look for potentially positive outcomes to counterbalance your anger and despair. For me this continues to be meeting more neighbors, talking to more neighbors, and finding that others close by have also been fighting in ways I was unaware of.

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Nic Bennett (they/them) @nicbennett.bsky.social · 2d

@standupforscience.bsky.social volunteers know--resistance requires collective action

"early career researchers need to take their futures into their own hands. We do have influence when we come together. We need to join groups and build coalitions"

feeling scared and alone? talk to us

Ian L Morgan @ianlmorgan.bsky.social · 2d

My op-ed just came out discussing how NIH leadership is failing early career researchers and, importantly, how we can push back and take our future into our own hands.

NIH Leadership Is Failing Early Career Researchers

Halted training programs, funding chaos, and hiring freezes jeopardize advancement options for early career researchers.

www.the-scientist.com

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Reposted by Nic Bennett (they/them)

Ian L Morgan @ianlmorgan.bsky.social · 2d

My op-ed just came out discussing how NIH leadership is failing early career researchers and, importantly, how we can push back and take our future into our own hands.

NIH Leadership Is Failing Early Career Researchers

Halted training programs, funding chaos, and hiring freezes jeopardize advancement options for early career researchers.

www.the-scientist.com

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Reposted by Nic Bennett (they/them)

Metcalf Institute @metcalfuri.bsky.social · 2d

Our Fall Lecture 2 weeks away! We’re excited to bring a panel of 3 scientists in seemingly disconnected fields to illuminate the intersection of climate change, public health, and food equity. Today we’re spotlighting Christine Ekenga of @emoryuniversity.bsky.social
web.uri.edu/metcalf/2025...

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Nic Bennett (they/them) @nicbennett.bsky.social · 2d

During 2025, I've done 100s of 1:1 meetings w/ alarmed US scientists.

They are activated & want to resist but are new to organizing. Let's learn from those w/ experience.

I highly recommend checking out Let This Radicalize You, and you can find a discount at this link.

#scienceAsSolidarity

Preorder Read This When Things Fall Apart @mskellymhayes.bsky.social · 2d

I am currently out of copies to give away, but if you are new to organizing and activism, and you could use some insight and guidance, you can find Let This Radicalize You at a discount here:

Let This Radicalize You

Doing Justice: The Revolution of Rescue and Reciprocal Care is a practical and imaginative resource for activists and organizers building power in an era of destabilization and catastrophe.

www.haymarketbooks.org

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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 3d

Hey US scientists, the NY Times wants to hear from you if you've had your funding cut. 🌊🧪

Has Your Scientific Work Been Cut? We Want to Hear.

www.nytimes.com

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Nic Bennett (they/them) @nicbennett.bsky.social · 3d

Thank you Dr. Barbara Ransby for this bio of Ella Baker. I needed this wisdom from our movement ancestors. I needed to learn from a life lived to build a movement, not to build up one's own ego.

My life will be my thank you card for writing this.

www.zinnedproject.org/materials/el...

Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision

Book — Non-fiction. By Barbara Ransby. 2024 (Second Edition). 512 pages. This biography chronicles Baker's long and rich political career as an organizer, an intellectual, and a teacher, from her earl...

www.zinnedproject.org

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Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 4d

Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE

nyti.ms

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Mark Bray @mark-bray.bsky.social · 12d

I teach a history of antifascism course @ruhistorydept.bsky.social and figured I'd start an ongoing thread this semester to share some insights from course readings and recommend some great works on antifascism.

🧵

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Nic Bennett (they/them) @nicbennett.bsky.social · 4d

"our resistance movements are only as strong as our relationships"

castro.fm/podcast/a4b6...

Love in a F*cked Up World

Why do so many of us act our worst in relationships? How can we hold on to our liberatory values even when strong feelings are involved? For 25 years, Dean Spade has been working in movements for quee...

castro.fm

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AK Press @akpress.org · 4d

The first excerpt from our forthcoming book edited by @mskellymhayes.bsky.social, Read This When Things Fall Apart, is a letter by Aaron Goggans about how fascism warps consensus reality—and how organizers can learn how to live well outside of it, without letting conflict and trauma rip them apart.

A Letter from an Organizer on How to Fight While Feeling Broken

An excerpt from Read This When Things Fall Apart.

mentalhellth.xyz

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AK Press @akpress.org · 4d

"How can we take care of our mental health while either refusing—or being just plain unable—to adjust ourselves to injustice?"

mentalhellth.xyz/p/a-letter-f...

So again, if you find yourself wondering, after weeks or perhaps months of constant stress, maybe some panic attacks or lashing out at your comrades, or perhaps even waking up in the middle of the night terrified of jackboots at your door, if you are going crazy, I’d offer that maybe that’s the wrong question. The better question is, how can we take care of our mental health while either refusing—or being just plain unable—to adjust ourselves to injustice?

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