As Greenpeace prepares to appeal a devastating verdict in a lawsuit brought by a pipeline company, the environmental group knows it is not only defending itself — but the very right to protest. (fb)

We are heading down a perilous road. Vulnerable communities face growing threats. The climate crisis is outpacing scientists’ worst predictions. Authoritarianism is no longer a distant possibility — it is rising, with democracy backsliding across the globe. With Trump’s return, public services like education, labor protections, humane immigration policies, health care and diversity programs are being dismantled. Meanwhile, trust in democracy is eroding — especially among young people. As political scientist Steven Levitsky points out, part of the problem is motivational: The political right is fighting for a clear, albeit dangerous, vision. The left, by contrast, is often fighting against that vision, with fewer compelling alternatives on offer. So what can we do? We build. We shift away from reform — away from tweaking broken systems — and instead direct our energy toward creating entirely new ones. And the beauty of this method is: we don’t have to start from scratch. We can draw from history. One of the most effective nonviolent movements in modern times was Gandhi’s campaign for Indian independence. His success wasn’t built on protest or disruption alone. Gandhi believed civil disobedience was just one part of the work. It’s also critical to build what he called constructive programs — alternatives to the unjust systems he sought to replace. These were the foundations of a new society, built within the shell of the old. Because resistance isn’t only about saying no. It’s about creating a future worth saying yes to. Story: Barbara Peterson 📷: The Michigan Urban Farming Initiative (fb)