🔥 February 14th, 2025 Recap: Be Mine, Democracy 🔥
The fight doesn’t get easier, but neither do we! If you’re reading these recaps, you already know they’re 🔥—but now it’s time to take the next step and watch us LIVE every Friday at High Noon! Want a dose of joy, strategy, and power-packed guests? Tune in! This week, we had best-selling author David Pepper (Laboratories of Autocracy & Saving Democracy), plus the grassroots warriors making it happen on the ground!
👊 The People Are Speaking—And Taking Action!
The grassroots isn’t waiting anymore. This week, you’ll hear them say: “We told you what we wanted—now we’re’ doing it our damn selves!” You’ll love hearing from Carrie Short of COVA Coalition, as she unveils “The Playbook: Action for the Grassroots.”
It was Valentine’s Day, and what do we want to be ours? Democracy. So we set the tone with Rise Up for Democracy by Ellen and Roger Schwartz—because art and music fuel this movement.
🔥 Black History, Frederick Douglass & The Urgency of Now
Finale celebrated Black History Month by sharing the work of Jemar Tisby and her favorite abolitionist—Frederick Douglass. One of the most powerful quotes for this moment:
“But the fact that both parties are inadequate in certain respects does not mean that each party is equally harmful.”
A truth that should have been shouted in past elections—but must be shouted NOW.
💥 Virginia’s Battle for Constitutional Amendments
On January 10th, Luisa Boyarski of the Virginia Grassroots Coalition dropped a crucial update: Voting Rights Restoration, Women’s Reproductive Rights, and Marriage Equality have passed both chambers! But this is just the beginning—Virginia requires multi-year approval before these reach voters. Re-elect these leaders, or we lose it all! Watch Luisa’s full report here.
🔥 David Pepper: “We Need to Be Clear-Eyed About the Risk”
If you follow Pepperspectives on Substack, you know David Pepper has been tracking autocracy for years. This week, he didn’t hold back.
When asked if he’s scared, he shared a call he got from a woman asking the same thing. His answer?
“ I am wide-eyed and clear about the risk. I am resolute”
🔥 The truth? It can be that bad.
David laid out how history repeats—Jim Crow lasted generations because the fight wasn’t won in time. The determining factor? US. Right now.
🔥 The Fight Starts NOW—Virginia Can Lead the Way 🔥
Virginia’s November 4th, 2025 election is THE chance to turn the tide. Win here, and we set the stage for 2026 and 2028. Lose? The risk settles in for decades.
David broke down why Trump is pushing executive orders hard—because he can’t get this through Congress, and we’re WINNING in the courts. But we must rise up to stop him from flooding the system.
Frederick Douglass’ Words for THIS Moment
When some said Douglass was too fierce, he responded:
“Sometimes it’s not the light you need, but fire. It’s not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.”
🔥 Act like it’s terrible—because it IS. If we say democracy is dying but act like everything’s normal, people won’t believe the urgency. Our messaging must match our actions.
David also broke down NIH cuts, university impacts, and chilling comparisons to Hungary under Orban. If you missed this part—fix that now.👇🏽
🚀 The Grassroots Plan: “The Playbook” 🚀
Carrie from COVA Coalition unveiled their 10-step Playbook for grassroots resistance. Watch her segment here.
Step 1: Call it what it is—The Regime.
Step 2: Be Brave. Talking to friends & neighbors is high risk—do it anyway.
Step 3: Organize, Communicate, & Build a Media Strategy.
Step 10? It’s blank—because YOU shape it based on what works in your community.
🔥 Own your precinct like you’re running for office! COVA Coalition is also encouraging women in Coastal Virginia to start their own groups. They developed some simple guidelines to follow.
📢 Don’t miss this segment—get the full Playbook Playback here!
🔥 The Secret After Chat: Where It Gets REAL 🔥
Over 100 people stayed to keep the conversation going with David Pepper. This is where we drop the filters and say what we REALLY think.
We are mad, a little scared, but most importantly—WIDE-EYED AND CLEAR-EYED.
When we came out of After Chat, we were ready to take on the fight.
Our antidote? Frederick Douglass, David Pepper, and the Playbook from COVA Coalition.
🔥 Onward! 🔥
NEXT WEEK: YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS!
On February 21st, our guests will be:
Abigail Spanberger – Former Congresswoman & candidate for Governor of Virginia
Timothy Cywinsk, Communications Director & Paige Wesselink, Digital Communications Lead, Sierra Club VA Chapter
Jake Fein – Senior Regional Organizer for Indivisible
📢 JOIN US LIVE & BE IN THE ROOM!
Finale, Carrie and Big Mic Katherine
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