Why this Activity?
As we hesitantly check the news and social media each day, we are bombarded with an onslaught of attacks on democracy and human rights. Many of us are grappling with how to talk to our neighbors and have critical conversations about defending our democracy. Book clubs are an opportunity to connect with others who hold shared values of justice, equality, and freedom and are also seeking connection in these unprecedented times. Living rooms, libraries, and coffee shops are the places where the social movement magic happens.
What is the Activity?
Suzanne Pharr, a Southern organizer, movement elder, and longtime friend of ROP, recently released the second edition of her book In the Time of the Right: Reflections on Liberation. The book tracks the rise of the authoritarian right over three decades, starting with the election of Ronald Reagan. In 1996, when the original book was written, the signs of rising authoritarianism were becoming evident. 30 years later, we are living through the outcome of that slow, dedicated build amidst the implementation of Project 2025.
This book is for those who believe in progressive change for all of us at this critical time in history. Suzanne asks us all to reflect on the question: What steps can we take in the face of rising fascism?
How to Complete the Activity:
- Download or purchase copies of In the Time of the Right: Reflections on Liberation held in the Creative Commons and available to download at no cost at www.suzannepharr.com. The new edition opens with a foreword by Scot Nakagawa, author of The Anti-Authoritarian Playbook.
- Decide as a group whether you will read the entire book or focus on one particular chapter.
- Meet and discuss what resonated most for you.
- In what ways are Suzanne’s reflections from over the decades relevant to your organizing today?
- How does this book influence your approach to bringing people into your local group?
- What is inspiring you or your group to take action? What have you already started planning?
- Let ROP know how your discussion went! What questions do you have for Suzanne? How is the book influencing your organizing? Reach out to your local community organizer or email Stephanie at stephanie@rop.org.
Extra credit: Explore Suzanne’s strategic movement insight:
- Read about defending democracy at the local level: One Step Against Fascism: Organizing to Protect and Defend Our Libraries
- Watch In the Time of the Right (speech) from 1997, where Suzanne talks about the importance of a progressive vision in response to the growing right-wing movement to dismantle civil rights and build toward authoritarian rule. The need for our communities to bring people in and build this vision is as true now as it was then.
Background: Kitchen Table Activism (KTA) is a monthly activity by the Rural Organizing Project. The idea is that small actions can lead to powerful collective results when groups of people gather to complete the same action across the state of Oregon. ROP works to keep each KTA easily achievable so that groups with other projects or groups with limited immediate energy can still complete the KTA each month.
