Barbara Gunn Lartey moderates the AFSC's June 2026 Protect, Resist and Build webinar. AFSC
Barbara Gunn Lartey hosted the June 16, 2026 edition of AFSC's monthly Protect, Resist and Build webinar. Below are highlights of Barbara's remarks and a few resources shared by her colleagues at AFSC.
This conversation is very near and dear to my heart, and I don’t want to miss a beat. I want to share the intersection where we find ourselves.
It’s June 16, and we're on the doorstep of Juneteenth. It's a reminder that freedom delayed is still freedom denied. It’s still freedom worth fighting for.
June is also Pride Month, which is a call for allies and community members to honor the dignity and humanity of people who are still, in 2026, pushed to the margins.
This is also Black Music Month, reminding us that songs have long carried protest, perseverance and possibility.
Tonight’s conversation is about resisting authoritarianism, and it feels especially timely. Here’s the thing about authoritarianism. All over the world, authoritarianism does not arrive at once.
It grows when fears become normalized, when cruelty becomes entertainment, and when harmful language becomes casual. It grows when people are reduced to categories, caricatures or conspiracies.
I won’t belabor the point. Many of us heard what happened recently when Michelle Obama was referred to as a man. I won’t get into the specifics of where or when it happened or who said it, but I will say, when we feel emboldened to spew that kind of hatred, that’s a direct fruit of authoritarianism.
We ask you now if you could drop into the chat what could be a small act of resisting authoritarianism. It doesn’t have to be dramatic, though I love drama. But it could be something very ordinary, like speaking up when someone says something dehumanizing.
It could be participating in a boycott, protecting someone’s dignity however that looks like. Maybe you’re queuing up someplace and someone tries to cut in line, and you say, "Hey, wait a minute, the line’s back there."
That could make someone’s day. Why? Because I’m a recipient of someone stepping in to protect my dignity. It could look like choosing truth over convenience. There are all kinds of way.
Let’s see what some thoughts are:
Someone suggested not engaging with AI. That could be a powerful way.
Thank you, Carol from Sacramento, who said, “I need to feel less helpless.”
A change is gonna come.
Speaking to folks living in public areas. That almost makes me well up -- if you’ve ever been one step from being unhoused and felt invisible....
Wearing a hat that says, “Immigrants Make America Great."
When I go through TSA, Sayrah from New Mexico says, she refuses facial recognition. I do exactly the same. I was just in the air several times this month. I appreciate that. Amy says she does the same.
These are all amazing ideas.
Blocking messages of hate that are given at Pride events.
Not spending my money in certain stores -- boycotting.
Some people may hear this as just being performative. And I used to be one of those people who thought that. “What does a blue bracelet mean?” “What does a green ribbon mean?”
I’m now beginning to revise that, because belittling small acts is also is a tool of authoritarianism. There’s an African proverb that says, “Tiny drops of water make a mighty river.”
Other ideas include:
Choosing to spend your dollars in certain places.
Continuing to patrol for ICE. We’re going to hear more about that at the end of this evening’s conversation. How there was a mighty groundswell of community in response to that.
[Barbara passed the mic to Kerri Kennedy, AFSC Associate General Secretary for US Programs. Kerri shared from her 30 years of experience practicing “Courage and Action During Perilous Times.” Kerri shared these six Organizing Pathways: Coalition Building, Community Defense. Mutual Aid & Care, Legal Defense & Rights, Public Witness, and Cross-Sector Solidarity.]
I appreciate Kerri's reference to South Africa. One of the things I learned there, that South Africa is the first country in the world to enshrine and protect the dignities and liberties of the LGTBQ+ community in their Constitution.
[Barbara next passed the mic to Sayrah Namaste, AFSC New Mexico Program Co-Director. Sayrah walked people through strategies that work against authoritarianism and shared this toolkit: https://antiauthoritarian.com/.]
[Barbara's next guest was Mike Merryman-Lotze, AFSC Just Peace Global Policy Director, who encouraged everyone on the call to sign AFSC's Declaration of Resistance.]
It's as simple as this: I’m called to help protect the dignity of all people.
[Barbara's final guest was Jacob Flowers, Regional Director of AFSC's South Region and a key organizer of AFSC's Love as Action events over the past six months. Jacob said 45 communities have organized over 200 vigils since December 2025. Over 50 will actions are planned on the July 4 weekend.]
Here's what I heard during tonight's Protect, Resist and Build webinar:
Authoritarianism requires fear, division, dehumanization and lies.
What defeats authoritarianism is community, conviction, truth-telling and connection.
As we prepare for Juneteenth, Pride Month and Black Music Month, we remember that music has been the soul of movements through the decades. Music is what kept people together. It’s what helped people move on. We’ll close tonight with a song from the Minnesota Resistance Choir.
Visit here to register for future Protect, Resist and Build webinars.