Campaigns that RESIST!

At ioby, we believe that neighbors are best positioned to identify and lead positive change within their own communities.

While we are mission-driven to support leaders in neighborhoods that have been historically disinvested, we don’t come up with ideas for projects. We just do all we can to support leaders in planning, funding, and carrying out their visions for a better community.

That said, we do pay attention to trends and patterns in what people are funding. And over the past few months, we’ve noticed a new category emerge: projects that directly respond to the policy proposals of the Trump administration.

Whether it’s a public demonstration in solidarity with the Women’s March, or an interactive art project drawing attention to the divisive rhetoric around immigration, or a series of public meetings around design for resistance, it’s clear that our communities are feeling a new sense of urgency, and are working to mobilize.

[Barrier Free: A social-engaged art installation in Memphis]

This kind of organizing, on a local level, by a community that feels vulnerable, or around a certain topic that feels urgent, is a crucial form of civic participation. We believe it strengthens our democracy. We want to do all we can to support projects that are about resisting, organizing, and mobilizing community talent and assets to speak out, build power, and protect the vulnerable in this political climate.

Here are some of our favorites:

One more note: while many of these campaigns are explicitly in response to threats posed by the Trump administration, many more ioby leaders are doing similar work to undo the legacy of decades of discriminatory policy, and to build community resilience in the face of all sorts of threats, new and old. This ongoing work, led and funded by communities, is just as important a measure of civic strength.

We hope you’ll join us in supporting this work, or even better, start a project in your own community!