Good Trouble Lives On: Frederick Rally
Thursday, July 17th (6-8pm) @ Baker Park Bandshell
RSVP here and share with friends !
Learn why Good Trouble matters and what you can do.
We are facing the most brazen rollback of civil rights in generations. The same forces that used violence against John Lewis and civil rights leaders for marching for justice on the Edmund Pettus Bridge are back, with billionaires’ backers, extremist leaders, and authoritarian ambition.
Join us Jul 17 because making Good Trouble is Better Together.
Find your Good Trouble. Take Action. RESIST.
Register to vote, register a friend, and become an election judge.
“I gave a little blood on that bridge in Selma, Alabama for the right to vote.” ~ John Lewis
- Register online to vote today.
- Share this link to a friend so they can register easily.
- Consider working as an election judge (paid) or a voter registration volunteer (unpaid).
- Vote in Frederick City Primaries on Sept 9 and General Election on Nov 5. Candidate profiles / district maps are available on the Frederick News Post.
- Join a group which focuses on getting out the vote or protecting voter rights, such as: Center for Common Ground, Activate America, Vote Riders, Common Cause Maryland and the Environmental Voter Project.
Engage and join a local group of like minded individuals.
“Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society.” ~ John Lewis
- Resist Persist
- Join one of the local Indivisible groups organizing to protect democracy.
- RISE UP Frederick is a local women-led grassroots organization in Frederick.
- Join a boycott group through Transformative Justice Coalition (No DEI No BUY) or People’s Union USA
Sustain pressure on federal leaders to protect our rights.
“We have been too quiet for too long. There comes a time when you have to say something. There comes a time when you have to say something. You have to make a little noise. You have to move your feet. This is the time.” ~ John Lewis
- Call your Congressional representatives to demand they stop voter suppression by voting YES on the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, the Freedom to Vote Act, and the Native American Voting Rights Act.
- Make sure your representatives know they should fight as hard as possible to stop the SAVE Act and the related Executive Order, which are sweeping efforts to disenfranchise Americans through unneccessary eligibility procedures.
- Urge Congress to demand the immediate return of those disappeared to CECOT, condemn the use of the Alien Enemies Act to disappear immigrants from the U.S, and oppose any funding that enables these disappearances to domestic or foreign prisons.
- Contact Congress to protect Birthright Citizenship as enshrined in the 14th Amendment.
- Use 5calls.org to contact your representatives daily on topics you care about.
Involve yourself with local decision making (city, county, state).
“Sometimes you have to not just dream about what could be—you get out and push, and you pull, and you preach. And you create a climate and environment to get those in high places, to get men and women of goodwill in power to act.” ~ John Lewis
- Contact state and local leaders to demand action against masked ICE abductions.
- Contact state representatives about supporting the Maryland Voting Rights Act to make MD a leader in protecting the vote.
- Learn about how Maryland State and Frederick County are spending your tax dollars and what priorities this reflects. Do you agree ?
- Attend local meetings and speak publicly about your concerns:
— Frederick County Council, usually 3rd Tuesday at 5:30PM, details here.
— Send a comment to the Frederick County Immigrant Affairs Commission here.
— Attend a Frederick Board of Education meeting on Aug 6 or roughly biweekly as noted here.
— Frederick City Council Public Meeting : Thursday Aug 21 6PM. Recent agenda here.
— Frederick City Planning Commission meets the 2nd Monday of each month at 6PM. Details and agenda here.
Spend time or money on groups helping your community and targeted neighbors.
“It was not enough to come and listen to a great sermon or message every Sunday morning and be confined to those four walls and those four corners. You had to get out and do something.” ~ John Lewis
Support a “Good Trouble Lives On” partner from the listing available here.
Support immigrant neighbors :
- CASA has consistently been leading a variety of legal challenges and mobilizations from the recent MD legislative session on 287(g), TPS challenges, or recent birthright citizenship changes, and understanding ICE operations in MD.
- RISE Coalition of Western Maryland champions providing resources for immigrant support and empowerment.
- Centro Hispano de Frederick supports immigrants to success in the Frederck community through classes and support.
- Asian American Center of Frederick provides services and programs to immigrants and minorities.
- Nigerians in Frederick is an association that supports Nigerian immigrants and people of Nigerian heritage living in Frederick.
Support LGBTQ+ neighbors :
- PFLAG has been championing defense of Policy 443 for the Frederick Board of Education. Sign their petition here.
- As of Jul 17th, the Trump administration is terminating the National LGBTQ+ Youth Suicide Lifeline. Support organizations like Trevor Project and Translifeline that are filling the gap.
- Support the Frederick Center which organizes and supports a variety of LGBTQ+ programming and resources for Frederick.
Support neighbors in need :
- Heartly House provides housing to victims of power-based violence (domestic abuse, trafficking, child abuse, etc).
- Blessings in a Backpack Frederick provides a pre-packaged bag of food to children in need of food on the weekends (when school is not in session to provide them with a meal).
- Community Fridge is a mutual aid collective distributing food and supplies to those who need them in downtown Frederick.
- Food Not Bombs is an all-volunteer movement dedicated to taking direct action through mutual aid. We recover food that would otherwise be discarded, and share free vegan meals with the hungry. A Frederick chapter is starting up.
- BEACON is a local agency serving Brunswick, Maryland and surrounding areas with a food bank, emergency relief funds, and school supplies.
- Other local food sources include Frederick City (Food Bank and Community Table), Frederick County Donation Recommendations or list of Community Food Resources.
Support legal challenges :
- ACLU of Maryland has been active to identify and support legal defence of civil rights for Maryland cases and national issues like 287(g) agreements that impact Marylanders.
- Democracy Forward has been leading many national litigation strategies against the current administration to defend democracy and social progress.
Take a class to learn more history and methods, such as the free “Law & Racism” FCC class (#LIR294) starting Sep-25.
“In the movement, we didn't know how history would play itself out. When we were getting arrested and waiting in jail or standing in unmovable lines on the courthouse steps, we didn’t know what would happen, but we knew it had to happen.” ~ John Lewis
- Take the Law and Racism at FCC (free class taught by Good Trouble speaker Steve Haimowitz). Course # LIR294. 9/25-10/23/25. Thurs 1pm - 2:15pm.
Sign up for the class today at this link.
Here are some other learning resources:
- One Million Rising : Strategic Non-Cooperation to Fight Authoritarianism (Jul 30, Aug 13)
- African American Walking Tour of Frederick by AARCH
- Beautiful Trouble has an online library of toolkits and theories.
- Unexpected Virtual Tours hosts learning experiences for teams on a variety of topics including Good Trouble.
Why does Good Trouble Live On ?
The Trump administration is attacking our freedom to vote by trying to pass laws that would prevent millions of Americans from voting. Trump and his allies are weaponizing racist voter suppression tactics to silence the voices of those who demand accountability, specifically targeting Black, Brown, immigrant, and Indigenous communities.
Donald Trump knows that his extreme agenda is unpopular, so he’s attempting to silence our voices. He and his allies in Congress have begun cracking down on free speech, targeting people for their political positions, and even deployed the National Guard to quell peaceful protests in LA.
Donald Trump’s Congress is stripping away healthcare and services that Americans rely on. His billionaire budget ends programs like Medicaid and SNAP, all while cutting taxes for billionaires and helping corporations reap record profits.
Powerful politicians and extremist judges are stripping away our civil rights – from reproductive rights to our right to due process. They’ve disappeared our neighbors, denied women critical life-saving care, added more barriers to voting, and used DEI as a Trojan horse to target Black and Brown Americans — all while perpetuating lies and erasing history through voter roll purges and attacks on education.
65 years ago, President Johnson deployed the National Guard to protect peaceful civil rights marchers in Selma. Now, Trump is calling the Guard to stop protestors from using their First Amendment right. They want to rule by fear. We will respond with power, people, and purpose.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Trump is trying to divide us, but we know the power of coming together. Unity Is Our Victory.
Whether you're outraged by attacks on our civil rights, the gutting of essential services, disappearances of our neighbors, or the assault on free speech and our right to organize – join us in making Good Trouble.
This July 17th, we’ll rally together at the Baker Park Bandshell for an evening with awesome speakers that will build our knowledge base around civil and voting rights, as well as remind us of the bravery & courage of the great John Lewis. This event will also include a solidarity walk that will take place after our speakers.
*** A core principle behind all events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values. ***
Important Notes:
Bathrooms will be available by the bandshell.
Parking is available on the street around Baker Park.