Step Up Your Activism With The ACLU's New Training

On Saturday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) brought together thousands of people across the country for a day of protest and resistance training. At more than 2,000 local events, crowds learned how to understand their rights and support the legal action that the ACLU may take to oppose President Trump's power. The well-known activist organization may have kicked off several initiatives at once on Saturday, but it's not too late to participate in the ACLU's protest training.

The Saturday training centered on a headlining event in Miami. According to The Washington Post, the town-hall style event featured discussions of the ACLU's priority issues, including immigration and reproductive rights, and how everyday citizens can get involved. The training was also live-streamed to local events across the country. If you missed out on Saturday, there's good news: The video is still up for viewing on the homepage of the ACLU's new grassroots resistance website, People Power. Before you watch, be sure to budget enough time to soak it all in, as the video is more than an hour long.

Watching the long-but-important video is just the first part of participating. With People Power, the ACLU plans to help inspire further action in communities across the country. If you're interested in hosting an event in protest of the current administration, you can sign up with People Power to get coordination support from the ACLU.

More than a website, the People Power campaign is the ACLU's approach to harnessing its supporters' desire to get involved. As part of People Power, the ACLU has also launched Freedom Cities, a campaign specifically to target Trump's immigration policies, or what the ACLU calls his "mass deportation agenda." To put it simply, the Freedom Cities campaign encourages ACLU supporters to turn their communities into the "sanctuary cities" for immigrants that Trump has previously tried to break down.

If you want to support the ACLU's immigration agenda, perhaps the best tactic is to remain vigilant. On social media, the organization encouraged activists to document deportation raids and spread the word to those who may be vulnerable. On the People Power website, the ACLU has recommended local volunteers to work together with local elected officials to pursue policies that protect "friends, families, and neighbors."

For those who oppose the president's policies, the ACLU's newly unveiled resources for activism may be just the inspiration needed. The activism that has come out of Trump's controversial presidency is somewhat of a bright spot, creating a silver lining around a deeply divided population. If you want to be a part of that activism, the ACLU's resistance training makes for a good starting point.