TODAY’S NEWSLETTER INCLUDES:

1. MORE ABOUT WHAT DO WE DO NOW?
2. TALK BY FRED GLASS ON AMERICAN FASCISM AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
4. SALLY KOHN WITH BILL MAHER - TAKE A LOOK
5. UPDATE ON NEIGHBORHOOD PODS

Below, Martín Gobbée addressing next steps at No Kings.
Photo by Chris Wall

WHAT DO WE DO NOW?
watch this space for MAY DAY GENERAL STRIKE information
TBA NEXT WEEK

NO KINGS 3 Rally and March - we have impactful speakers,
music and camaraderie. We will continue to bring you snapshots from the day as ongoing inspiration!

FOLLOWING NO KINGS, WHAT DO WE DO NOW?
By Martín Gobbée and Lisa Storment

As spoken during the Rally by Martín
So - What do we do now?  There are SO many ways to stay involved, and continue to promote action.  But we want to highlight 4 key ways to fight for our democracy locally.

 1. Be an ally to immigrants, the BIPOC and LGBTQ communities.  Get in touch with NBRRN, SIS and La Luz to see how you can help.  Take Legal Observer Training – check out their tables here today. Build Community as resistance against ICE raids, disasters and internal collapse by being part of a Neighborhood pod. Attend Pride! June 12-14 - ESPECIALLY if you are an ally! LGBTQ needs their allies now!  Visible support of the transgender and LGBTQ community is critical now more than ever. March 31st is Transgender Visibility Awareness day.  Let someone you know or love who is transgender know you see them. BE and make safe spaces for them.

2.  Watch and monitor outcomes of your school board and throw your hat in the ring to run for a school board spot in November. School boards are a primary target to disrupt communities with Fascist agendas. Don’t let that happen here!

3. Get involved in local efforts to reform Healthcare This is critical now!   Work on the Single Payer in California initiative with the Democrats. Get involved in the rapidly expanding Seven Days in June campaign – an initiated developed by civil rights icon Cleve Jones. This initiative brings attention to how fundings cuts and policy changes to healthcare devastate local communities. Visit the WUS table for flyers explaining the initiative.

4. Help to get out the vote to move our Democracy in the right direction.  For example – you can: Canvas, postcard, and phone and text bank to encourage voters to cast their ballot at the upcoming elections. Get the Vote out and increase voter registration.  The people who don’t vote are having a big impact on the outcomes at the polls.  We cannot let that happen ever again! 

FINALLY - Donate to a local pro-democracy organizations like Wake UP Sonoma.  Every dollar you donate has an important impact in our community.  Visit our website Donate page.
Donate — Wake UP Sonoma

Please consider Joining our board or advisory council – we need strong voices and many hands now to guide our mission, and to directly impact our work of community building.

Again, we invite you to take a few actions to keep this work going, growing and strong!!!

With gratitude and solidarity,
Lisa Storment, President, Wake UP Sonoma

American Fascism: What It Is & What To Do About It
Wake UP Sonoma’s Community Conversation with Fred Glass
MAY 2, 2026
11:00 - 1:00
Burlingame Hall - Sonoma Valley
Snacks provided
How do we understand what happening in the United States today?
• What are its origins?
• What do we call it, and why?
• How do we organize to roll it back?
Check out this Video put out by Fred
RSVP LINK: COMMUNITY CONVERSATION WITH FRED GLASS — Wake UP Sonoma
Check out this really interesting video put out by Fred
Tax the Rich: An animated fairy tale

An animated fairy tale, is narrated by Ed Asner, with animation by Mike Konopacki. Written and directed by Fred Glass for the California Federation of Teachers. An 8 minute video about how we arrived at this moment of poorly funded public services and widening economic inequality. Things go downhill in a happy and prosperous land after the rich decide they don't want to pay taxes anymore. They tell the people that there is no alternative, but the people aren't so sure. This land bears a startling resemblance to our land. For more info, www.cft.org. © 2012 California Federation of Teachers

BUT FIRST, COME SEE SALLY KOHN FOR A CONVERSATION ON CHANGE, EMPATHY AND A “NO HATE” ATTITUDE IN THESE TIMES.

FIRESIDE CHAT WITH SALLY KOHN
Moderated by Martín Gobbée, Wake UP Sonoma Board member
Friday, April 24
5:30 PM–7:00 PM

Doors open at 5:00 PM

Sebastiani Theatre - Sonoma Valley

Wake UP Sonoma’s April Community Conversation
TICKET LINK: Fireside Chat with Sally Kohn - No Hate | Press Democrat News Group
Sally Kohn has a reputation for being ready to make nice.

The lesbian liberal commentator who for years called FOX News her home has friends across the aisle and spanning the spectrum of political ideologies. But after the 2016 election, Kohn noticed something shifting—not just across the country, as hateful rhetoric and bigoted violence provoked widespread conflict and a rise in nationalism, white supremacy and misogyny—but even within herself. Sally Kohn found herself seething with anger. She found herself occupied by contempt. And so, she did the only thing she could to navigate her way back toward compassion—she went on a full-scale tour of hate’s myriad manifestations.

Her book The Opposite of Hate: A Field Guide to Repairing Our Humanity is Kohn’s report back from a journey that took her around the world and into the lives of white supremacists, terrorists and Trump supporters.

“Ultimately, the opposite of hate is the beautiful and powerful reality of how we are all fundamentally linked and equal as human beings,” Kohn writes. “The opposite of hate is connection.” Through what Kohn identifies as connection-speech, connection-spaces, connection-thinking and connection-systems, she compels activists and everyday citizens alike to think differently about the people they disagree with, the people who approach them with hostility and even the people who seek to disempower, oppress and even hurt them. She connects the dots between building compassion toward our detractors on social media and enacting policies that rectify the codification of racism and sexism. She brilliantly illustrates the immense and disarming power of changing course and driving not toward division, but toward civility and mutual respect.

Read the full article here:

Sally Kohn is Calling for Connection and Compassion in the Age of Trump - Ms. Magazine
We hope you will join us on April 24th!
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NEIGHBORHOOD POD UPDATE - MUTUAL AID IN REAL TIME

On the last Monday of every month, we have a growing neighborhood pod group meeting.
The neighborhood Pods are taking off! Right now we have 22 neighborhoods involved, from a start of 12 - so it has doubled in a month. I have been completely impressed with the way in which all of these Neighborhood Pod captains have taken this on, and are starting to report gains and wins. Some of the wins reported are as follows:
1. Phone Trees and other strategies for inter-neighborhood communications are being created in neighborhoods where people previously did not know one another.
2. We are looking for an easy and accurate way to start mapping the neighborhoods. The majority neighborhoods are in the Sonoma city limits at this point.  We are encouraging more people from the Springs/Agua Caliente area to join while continuing to expand in the city of Sonoma.
3. An emergency Response seminar series was shared for seniors for natural disasters and other emergencies.
4. Some neighborhoods are creating their own bullet points on how to use this process that best matches their needs.
5. Neighborhood Potlucks have been formed and are forming.
7. We are looking at ways to expand on Know Your Rights Training for wineries and adjacent neighborhood business and consulting with NBRRN on that.
8. Strategizing about how to traverse language barriers with some neighbors, and also how to reach out to shut in’s and elderly.
9. They are developing a neighborhood support welcome packet for new Pod Captains and new neighborhood members.

We are excited to see where this goes. The possibility of a Neighborhood Pod/Mutual Aid seminar may be in our future to share wins, and continue to strategize about resources available to all neighborhoods. Won’t you join us and see how we can grow our forces in Sonoma Valley? ……Lisa Storment

Neighborhood Pod Point Person Meeting
First Mondays of each month. Next one is April 27 - 5:30 - 6:30
Come see what we are up to - fill out this form to join.
NEIGHBORHOOD PILOT POINT PERSON SIGN UP — Wake UP Sonoma
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Our Vision: To foster a vibrant, just, respectful and welcoming Sonoma Valley community.

OUR MISSION IS TO:
EDUCATE - by providing resources to Sonoma Valley residents to be informed and engaged.
ADVOCATE - for local diversity, equity, inclusion, civic and corporate transparency.
ACTIVATE - by promoting democracy and providing opportunities for local engagement.

We Educate. Advocate. Activate.
on issues related, but not limited to:
- LGBTQIA+ safety and visibility
- Protection of our immigrant population
- Defense against Christian Nationalism
- Transparency in large corporate investment and responsible development
- Active local civic engagement