Compassionate Resistance for 3/21/17

This post is part of my “Compassionate Resistance” series, a regular roundup of stories of local resistance from across America. This series was inspired by and is part of Powerful Resistance, a grassroots project to counter the injustice of the current administration by promoting positive stories of justice and compassion.

• Learn more about my Compassionate Resistance series.
• Browse my Compassionate Resistance series archive.
• Follow my Compassionate Resistance Twitter feed at @Comp2Resist.
• Learn more about the Powerful Resistance project on Facebook.

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• Elected Officials Rally to Keep "Fearless Girl" Statue on Wall Street (NY1): "To empower young women, young girls, to become fearless young women in the future."
• Fighting Back by Teaching the Children (SF Chronicle): "Dr. Seuss made up big words. If you can get excited about that, why not ‘democracy’?"
• Workshops Help Teachers Cope with Students' Immigration Fears (Chicago Sun-Times): "Making sure that all students feel safe, welcome and valued is a top priority."
• Little Shop of Stories Spreads Kindness (American Booksellers Association): "The Decatur, Georgia, bookstore uses monthly themed book clubs and events to help kids and their parents explore ideas of community and compassion through literature."
• A Father Starts 'The Kindness Challenge' to Honor His Late Son's Compassion (Christian Science Monitor): "Dozens of posts each day share stories of kindness, including heartwarming photos, words of thanks to doctors from cancer patients, and motivational messages."
• New Twist for Deportation Opponents: Santuary in the Streets (Christian Science Monitor): "If ICE comes to your house, there’s no way you can leave to find sanctuary in one of our congregations. So the idea came: How do we bring the congregation to the house?"
• Empathy as Resistance in Trump's America (Huffington Post): "When those stories are told, and told well, they can produce precisely the sort of engagement and empathy that can and do inspire further awareness and action."
• Colorado Bill Would Expedite Immigrant License Renewals (Coloradoan): "You cannot ignore the fact that they’re here. So why not make it easier for them to comply with what is available to them?"
• A Latina Comes to the Defense of a Mulsim Couple Being Verbally Harassed on the New York Subway (Washington Post): "We are all in this together. Whether you like what’s going on in the government or not, f— it, you got to deal with it. You are a grown woman."
• Women Are Leading the Fight for Renewable Energy (Ms. Magazine Blog): "We started out with an idea that if mothers were invited into a space and given the opportunity to work with other mothers on these issues for the sake of protecting their children that they would embrace that opportunity. And it’s true."
• This Coffee Shop Is Staffed Entirely by New Refugees, to Help Them Get on Their Feet (Fast Company): "We've been a social enterprise from the beginning. It's not something we added on after-the-fact."
• Facebook Adds an Easy Way to Find Your Local Government Officials (Engadget): "The feature is pretty straightforward: enter your address and Facebook will return with a list of government officials sorted by jurisdiction."
• Sanctuary in the Age of Trump: Coming to a Church Near You (Press Enterprise): "If Jesus tells us to care for the sick, to love everyone, that’s what I have to preach. That’s what I have to teach, and that’s what I have to do."
• Alabama Town Agrees in Settlement to Stop Operating Debtors' Prison (Southern Poverty Law Center): "The shuttering of this modern-day debtors’ prison, along with the monetary award, brings justice to many of the people who were unfairly targeted for being poor."
• From Trump's Critics, a Blizzard of Old-Fashioned Postcards (Boston Globe): "That somebody took the time to write something, get a stamp, put it in the mail — there’s an additional level of commitment and resistance."

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