By Peter Coleman, Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution
Below is a 50-day action calendar designed with principles of successful non-violent movements in mind (broad participation, institutional loyalty shifts, disciplined escalation). Research by political scientist Erica Chenoweth shows that when just a small slice of a population—about 3–4 percent—sustains non-violent pressure, regimes almost never withstand the challenge. Gene Sharp’s “198 Methods of Non-violent Action” proves there are countless low-risk tactics ordinary people can weave into daily life.
How to use this list:
· Treat it like compound interest. One act a day builds civic habits, enlarges networks and slowly shifts norms.
· Keep the tone civil and inclusive. Authoritarian projects thrive on polarization; resist by pulling new allies in, not shutting them out.
· Pair action with reflection. Note what worked, who joined you, and what next step naturally follows.
Action [and Strategic Payoff]:
1: Map your civic landscape—list local election offices, councils, school boards, and trusted local journalists. [Anchors future engagement & rapid response.]
2: Buy a paid subscription (even $5/mo) to an independent local newsroom. [Keeps investigative watchdogs solvent.]
3: Check your voter registration status on your state’s official site. [Closes easy suppression loopholes.]
4: Knock on three neighbors’ doors, introduce yourself, swap phone numbers. [Builds a resilient, rapid-alert network.]
5: Attend (or stream) a city-council or school-board meeting; share one takeaway online. [Signals public scrutiny; spreads civic literacy.]
6: Write a concise, respectful letter to one elected official urging support for an anti-authoritarian safeguard (e.g., Electoral Count Act enforcement). {Shows constituents are watching democratic guardrails.]
7: Enable two-factor authentication on email & social accounts. [Hardens you against hack-and-leak operations.]
8: Post a non-partisan explainer on common disinformation techniques; invite discussion. [Vaccinates peers against manipulation.]
9: Volunteer one hour on a non-partisan voter-protection hotline. [Boosts ballot access; signals organized oversight.]
10: Give a library card (or a banned-book gift) to a young person. [Expands access to fact-based information.]
11: Display a small yard/window sign quoting the First Amendment. [Keeps foundational values visible in daily life.]
12: Mail a thank-you note to your county’s election workers. [Bolsters morale of frontline democratic stewards.]
13: Host a living-room dialogue with friends across political lines using a structured civility guide. [Rebuilds cross-cutting social ties authoritarianism erodes.]
14: Donate $5 to a press-freedom legal defense fund. [Defends independent media against intimidation suits.]
15: Politely correct one piece of viral misinformation with sourced facts.[Shrinks false-narrative reach.]
16: Watch a 10-minute de-escalation or active-bystander video; practice the script. [Reduces risk of violence at public events.]
17: Read the U.S. Constitution; highlight one amendment you’d forgotten. [Refreshes civic knowledge & talking points.]
18: Sign up for SMS or email alerts from a reputable civil-rights group.[Creates a apid-mobilization channel.]
19: Shop at a locally owned store threatened by corporate concentration.
[Strengthens pluralistic local economies.]
20: Assemble a “micro-volunteer squad” of 3–5 friends for swift, collective actions. [Converts solitary concern into team capacity.]
21: Pledge publicly not to share unverified stories. [Models information hygiene.]
22: Attend a community-policing or school-budget forum; ask a transparency question. [Reinforces accountability norms.]
23: Offer childcare or rides so neighbors can attend civic meetings or vote.[Removes participation barriers.]
24: Plant a “Democracy Garden” herb pot; gift clippings + voter-info card to neighbors. [Spreads message through everyday exchange.]
25: Email the school board supporting robust civics & history curricula.[Counters curriculum censorship pushes.]
26: Move one account to a community bank/credit union. [Reduces leverage of mega-banks funding anti-democratic actors.]
27: Review your workplace whistle-blower protections; share summary with co-workers. [Raises the cost of corruption.]
28: Host a film night (e.g., Selma or The Edge of Democracy) with discussion prompts. [Uses storytelling to spark recruitment.]
29: Start a running Google-doc tracking state bills that alter voting rules; share monthly. [Provides early-warning radar.]
30: Split your news diet—devote half the time to ideologically diverse but reputable outlets. [Builds empathy & reduces echo-chambers.]
31: Attend or support a local union rally or bargaining committee. [Strengthens organized, democratic workplaces.]
32: Volunteer at a library “banned-books” public reading. [Defends intellectual freedom.]
33: Translate key voter-info or civic-rights resources into another language you know. [Expands inclusion of immigrant communities.]
34: File one Freedom-of-Information request on local spending or policing. [Signals watchdog presence; surfaces data.]
35: Apply to be an election poll worker (or back-up). [Fortifies election infrastructure.]
36: Launch a postcard chain urging friends to vote in the next primary. [Improves turnout in low-salience races authoritarians exploit.]
37: Set up a $10 monthly auto-donation to a democracy-defense nonprofit. [Creates predictable resources for the movement.]
38: Adopt a “buy-cott” list—patronize companies that publicly defend democracy; tell them why. [Rewards civic-minded corporate behavior.]
39: Tip service workers 25%+ today and thank them for keeping community running. [Fosters solidarity across class lines.]
40: Attend a peaceful voting-rights march; bring a friend; review non-violent discipline guidelines first. [Shows visible, collective resolve.]
41: Create a free alert on Congress.gov for one democracy-related bill and track its progress. [Keeps sustained legislative pressure.]
42: Draft a short op-ed or TikTok thread on why democratic norms matter in everyday life; submit/post. [Shapes public narrative.]
43: Join or start a neighborhood mutual-aid Slack or WhatsApp group. [Models cooperative self-governance.]
44: Help a 17-year-old pre-register or apply to be a student poll worker. [Grows next-gen defenders.]
45: Teach an older neighbor basic digital-news and scam-filtering skills. [Shrinks disinformation targets.]
46: Launch a quarterly democracy-themed book club; pick titles across the spectrum. [Deepens knowledge & networks.]
47: Commit to a “buy nothing new” week; discuss consumer power with friends. [Disrupts hyper-consumerist narratives authoritarians exploit.]
48: Complete a certified protest-marshal or bystander-intervention training. [Raises the movement's professional capacity.]
49: Join a public art project—sidewalk chalk, window displays—affirming democratic values. [Uses culture to shift public space norms.]
50: Host a 50-day reflection potluck; invite everyone you know to engage, evaluate impact, and plan the next stage (e.g., adopt a precinct, organize statewide rally). [Turns momentum into a structured campaign.]
Next steps:
Repeat the cycle with new recruits, rotate leadership roles, and connect your local efforts to national coalitions so the ripple grows into the “3.5 percent” wave history shows can prevail. Stay non-violent, stay inclusive, and keep going.
