We are living in a time of emergency: ICE raids, troops in cities, corruption, disregard for law, attacks on health care, universities and science itself. Authoritarianism thrives when people feel overwhelmed, isolated, and powerless. But history teaches us that no regime stands on its own. It is held up by “pillars of support” – institutions like the military, civil service, police, courts, schools, media, businesses, and faith communities. These pillars supply the skills, resources, and cooperation that make repression possible. If enough people withdraw that cooperation, pillars weaken, and regimes lose their grip.
Small Groups of Resistance are small circles of 8–10 people (sometimes fewer) that give us the trust, courage, and companionship we need to resist together. Built on the practice of sacred listening, these groups are safe spaces where we can name our fears and despair without judgment and support and trust each other. There are no wrong answers. Listening builds trust. Trust prevents despair. And trust fuels action and resistance.
Each group chooses its own actions — in pairs, small teams, or together as a whole. These actions can be modest or bold, but the key is that they are sustainable and regular. In Lexington, that might mean talking with local businesses about protecting employees from ICE, putting welcome signs in windows, pressing police and the Select Board to uphold their duty to protect us, or investigating how Massport and Hanscom enable ICE operations. It could also mean checking in with teachers about whether students feel fearful in classrooms. These examples mean making our emergency visible within everyday institutions, and to build noncooperation where repression seeks compliance. All ideas are welcome.
Over time, small acts of noncooperation chip away at the pillars: refusing silence, supporting those under threat, disrupting the ‘business as usual’ narrative, finding new allies in position to take actions, large and small.
These small groups are not isolated. In Lexington and beyond they form a living network sharing ideas, learning from one another, and sometimes coordinating actions. In this way, our small circles become part of the larger force that builds hope over fear and strength in the face of violence.
Come to one of our meetings to see if this is right for you.
Question: Are these groups the same as covenant groups at Follen?
No. Covenant groups at Follen provide a space for people to meet together and discuss the monthly readings connected to the worship theme for that month. People bring their whole life experience to these groups, and there is no expectation beyond the agreement to follow covenant group guidelines and treat each other with love and respect and to practice sacred listening. Over time these groups build strong bonds with each other, and to the Follen community.
Our small resistance groups discuss our feelings, fears, and hopes that come directly from our experience of the country sliding into autocracy and fascism. Repression breeds despair and hopelessness. Community builds strength, resistance and hope. The small groups will focus on the direct issues of repression, overreach, illegality and violence impacting our communities in Massachusetts and beyond. We build trust with each other through the practice of “sacred listening”, borrowed from our covenant groups. It is a practice where each person speaks without interruption, judgment, or contradiction, and the group provides support through hearing that person. Our focus is on sharing our fears and experiences of repression and countering the despair that we feel witnessing destruction of institutions and practices that were the bedrock of our democratic society. We build bonds of mutual respect and trust that enable us to strengthen our resolve and take up actions of non-cooperation and resistance that oppose authoritarianism and ultimately make it impossible for the autocrats to succeed. Our approach is embodied in the idea of Resistance: everything, everywhere, all at once.