Think resisting authoritarianism is too big of a lift? Think again. This spring, while the U.S. resistance movement may not be in full bloom, it is blossoming.
The “3.5% rule”—identified by political scientist Erica Chenoweth—should be on the lips of every American anxious about the Trump administration’s headlong drive to replace our democracy with authoritarianism. After studying more than 300 nonviolent resistance campaigns, Chenoweth and colleagues’ research revealed a startling truth: When just 3.5% of a population engages in sustained, strategic civil resistance, authoritarian regimes fall.
Think about it. Not 50%. Not 30%. Just 3.5%. The message is clear: When enough people turn out—repeatedly and nonviolently—democracy wins.
When people commit to showing up—demonstrating creatively and persistently—history is on our side. Nonviolence trainer, activist and writer Rivera Sun, whose YA novels address peace-building, highlights the “imagination” side of movements—that we must not only resist but also build the world we want to live in.
That dual work of resisting and reimagining democracy is already happening across America. Still unsure? Go on YouTube and watch Republican congressmembers’ disastrous town halls. Then, check out Sen. Bernie Sanders and Cong. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s wildly popular rallies in red districts.
The implications for the nation are profound. We’re a country of 330 million, so 3.5% equals 11.5 million people. That’s the number we need to side with democracy over authoritarianism. That’s not fantasy. It’s strategy. In many, many communities—well beyond western Massachusetts—it’s growing. Person by person, town by town.
What’s needed now is not despair, but determination. Not hand-wringing, but hand-raising. Where I live, it’s one in every 28 standing up consistently and courageously as agents of change, transforming darkness into light. What is it where you live?
We’re growing our numbers. We’re refining our strategy. We’re exercising our moral imagination.
History is calling. Let’s answer.
Rob Okun is editor emeritus of Voice Male magazine.
