MICHAEL FOX [NARRATION]: A year of resistance. 

One year ago, today, Donald Trump was sworn in to his second term. Most of us could not have imagined what he would unleash inside the United States and abroad. The attack on US democracy. The attack on foreign countries. The deployment of the national guard. ICE agents raiding communities, ripping apart hardworking families, locking people up—even US citizens. Deporting tens of thousands of people.

But people have responded. In Los Angeles, Washington, Portland, Minnesota, New York. They have responded in cities and neighborhoods from the west coast to the east and everywhere in between. They’ve responded, defending their neighbors, denouncing the violence, calling out the intimidation, putting their bodies on the line to defend those in need. To protect their neighbors. They’ve stood up to say no. 

And today, around the United States, people are protesting. They’re rallying. They’re walking off their jobs to mark the one-year anniversary of Trump’s inauguration.

It’s part of a nationwide protest called the “Free America Walkout.” It’s organized by the Women’s March, the group that led the huge women’s marches against Trump in his first term. 

More than 400 events, rallies, and actions are happening throughout the United States. People are braving the cold weather, walking out of jobs and schools, and standing up on the one-year anniversary of Trump’s inauguration.

Here are a few voices from a Women’s March video promoting today’s actions.

“We’re here in numbers and we’re not going away. I’m outraged by what is happening in our country. There’s no room for division. We all need to be present. We don’t need to stay at home and watch out democracy taken away from us.”

People will be speaking up today, tomorrow, and they will continue to speak out. People are organizing. And the harder Trump and his administration pushes, the more they will push back.

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On the website for the Women’s March it states: 

“On January 20 at 2PM local time, we will walk out of work, school, and commerce. We will withhold our labor, our participation, and our consent. A free America begins the moment we refuse to cooperate. This is not a request. This is a rupture. This is a protest and a promise. In the face of fascism, we will be ungovernable.

★ We walk away from fascism. ★

★ We walk towards a Free America. ★

★ We fight for a future that belongs to us all. ★

★ Everybody in, nobody out. ★”

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Thanks for listening. I’m your host Michael Fox. 

I have some important news. First, today marks the one-year-anniversary of Stories of Resistance. The last year has been incredible. We’ve brought you 85 episodes about everything from Chile’s Victor Jara to resistance against Trump; a Incan bridge in the Andes to flamingos in the desert. We’ve won a pair of Gold podcasting awards.

It’s been an awesome run and I am so excited for much more for Stories of Resistance this year. But for now, we are going to take a little break. This is the final episode of Season 1 of Stories of Resistance.

If you follow my journalism outside of Stories of Resistance, you know that I’ve also been hard at work on Season 2 of my podcast Under the Shadow. It’s a deep dive into US intervention in Latin America. This season looks at Trump’s attack in the region and how communities, leaders and countries are responding. If you don’t already, I highly recommend you check it out. I’ll add links in the show notes. 

As for Stories of Resistance, I’ll be back later this year, with a second season. All new stories of inspiration, hope, and resistance.

And of course, if you want to stay up-to-speed with all of my work and reporting, I hope you’ll consider following me on Patreon and becoming a paid subscriber. You’ll get updates every time I’ve posted something new online. And if you like what’s there, I have a ton of exclusive content, only available to my paid supporters. Every supporter really makes a difference. I’ll add a link in the show notes.

This is episode 85 of Stories of Resistance. If you don’t already subscribe to the show you can follow the links in the show notes. Stories of Resistance is produced by The Real News. Each week I bring you stories of resistance and hope like this. Inspiration for dark times. 

Folks, if you like what we do, please do me a favor and rate us, follow us, leave a comment or a review, and help us spread the word. It really helps to get the word out about the show.

As always, thanks for listening. See you next time.