Democracy is not a spectator sport. Whether you want to exercise your right to vote, join a protest, call your elected officials, run for office, or keep tabs on the week’s hottest issues and protests, The Contrarian has you covered.
Here are our top suggestions for getting involved in the days ahead. These are heated times; we encourage non-violent and lawful activism.
March on Washington
A new March on Washington is scheduled for August 28. Sponsored by the Rev. Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, and a coalition of civil rights groups, marchers will gather at the Lincoln Memorial beginning at 8 a.m. to demand voting rights — in the face of the ongoing Republican assault on fair representation — and economic justice.
The march is being organized around the 63rd anniversary of the original 1963 March, at which the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Find out more about the event at MarchonWashington2026.com, where you can register to attend, sponsor a bus to the event, organize on behalf of a religious congregation, or partner with march organizers.
Stop Government Spying
A stunning New York Times report describes how federal authorities used invasive surveillance practices against Minnesota activists who opposed the Trump administration’s violent “Operation Metro Surge” ICE deployment. The feds reportedly infiltrated houses of worship and community meetings and tracked activists using license plates and financial records.
The ACLU of Minnesota is highlighting “profound First Amendment concerns” about this activity, particularly “federal law enforcement’s use of facial recognition software” to identify people not suspected of any specific crime. Join the ACLU in demanding “a full accounting” of this federal overreach. The civil liberties organization offers language that could be fashioned into a letter to members of Congress: “The public deserves to know who authorized this surveillance, what legal basis was asserted for it, how broadly it was conducted, what information was collected and retained, with whom information was shared, when it will be deleted, and what processes — if any — were in place to safeguard constitutionally protected activity.”
Stop ICE Shock Gloves
ICE announced plans last week to spend up to $20 million to buy electric-shock gloves for its agents. The G.L.O.V.E, or Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter, by Compliant Technologies, allows agents to “deliver a pain stimulus” to an individual to “gain compliance.” Despite being touted as “nonlethal,” the gloves pose significant danger; according to the company’s own manual, the shocks “may cause or contribute to death or serious injury.” Considering ICE’s recent escalations and history of violence, many fear that the gloves will be used to inflict wanton cruelty on suspects, detainees, or those protesting the agency. Join the NAACP and LULAC in calling for transparency, accountability, and oversight by contacting your representatives in Congress to ask them to halt the procurement of these taser gloves. As LULAC CEO Juan Proaño told The Contrarian: “It is degrading, it is dehumanizing, and it puts at great risk the general population — American citizens and immigrants alike.”
Stand Up for Sailors
Conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, amid an eight-month deployment, have become desperate — with reports of depleted rations, squalid bathrooms, and a lack of soap, deodorant, toothpaste and other necessities. Crew have been unable to regularly communicate with family and working shifts have been extended, pushing service members to the brink. Several sailors have attempted to throw themselves overboard or made other attempts at self-harm.
The commander in chief, Donald Trump, has dismissed this scandal as “fake news,” even insisting that the extended carrier deployment has not been “nearly long enough.” Families of the deployed called out the president, and the NAACP posted a call to action on behalf of the ship’s sailors of color, with a list of demands: “Relieve these Sailors. Investigate these conditions. Protect their mental health. Support their families. And bring them home safely.”
You can also call on your elected officials to join Senate efforts to demand transparency from the Department of Defense. As 15 Senators wrote to Secretary Pete Hegseth: “Denial and defensiveness are not acceptable responses. Congress and these families need accountability.”
Preserve the ‘Roadless Rule’
The Trump administration is attempting — again — to open pristine stands of federal forest to logging and development roads. The Department of Agriculture announced this week it is attempting to rescind a landmark 2001 “Roadless Rule” that protects nearly 45 million acres of national forest from resource exploitation.
The administration is dressing up this giveaway to logging and mining companies as a way to reduce wildfire risk. However, according to the Center for Western Priorities, the move would actually “degrade drinking water, fragment wildlife habitat, and increase the Forest Service’s $10 billion road maintenance backlog.” You can comment on the proposed regulation through September 21.
Sign Up for a Weekend of Action
Swing Left aims to defeat MAGA in the midterms on the strength of voter-to-voter contact. It is organizing a Weekend of Action on August 28 and 29, for which it is seeking volunteers to conduct 50 on-the-ground canvasses and 10 phone banks for the benefit of 55 target races across the country. The group is aiming to spark 500,000 conversations with voters before election day. Visit Swing Left’s website to find out how to volunteer on a race near you. For a quick volunteer orientation, click here. Or watch a Contrarian interview to learn more about Swing Left’s big-picture strategy and practice.
Join ‘Hands Off Our Vote’
Indivisible has mounted a campaign to empower citizens against voter suppression efforts and even election interference in the midterms. The group warns of the MAGA administration: “It’s going to be no-holds-barred from them this year as they try desperately to block free, democratic elections.” Check out the group’s 19-page election-protection toolkit for actions and strategies to ensure fair elections in November.
Vote Like Your Nation Depends on It
The “November” midterms actually begin as early as September in some states, with early voting set to start in just weeks. Opportunities differ by jurisdiction, so check out ElectionInnovation.org for a state-by-state breakdown of how to cast your ballot early, whether in-person at an early voting center, or by mail. Vote.org also offers an early-voting calendar. Check your voting details at Vote411.org and make a plan to cast your ballot.
Click here to find The Contrarian’s standing resources for empowering yourself in American civic life — from contacting your elected officials, to ensuring your right to vote, to supporting public-interest journalism.
An earlier version included an incorrect date and incorrect link for the comment period on the roadless rule. This version has been updated.
I have a heart pacemaker. If one of those murderous ICE creeps touches me with those electric gloves, I will be dead before I hit the ground.
I love when you guys offer these actionable options!