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Reposted by Dylan Flesch

Megan Piontkowski illustration @meganpiont.bsky.social · 7h

I was commissioned to make a zine for the No Kings 2 protest on Saturday Oct 18th!

If you wonder “what can I do?” this zine is for you. It’s packed with things that you can do from wearing a “no ICE” pin to organizing a visibility brigade with your friends.

drive.google.com/file/d/1TJnH...

Hand holding a black and white illustrated zine of two people holding signs that say “we marched! Now what?”

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Brian Keith Jackson @bkjwordplay.bsky.social · 8h

It was a powerful day. I'm pleased to have been a part of it. This was the closest thing to the protests of the '60 that we'd seen. It was brutal, yet lives were saved. But the cops also learned new tactics from those demonstrations. We have to find new tactics and this will for change again.

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Ricardo Levins Morales Art Studio @rlmartstudio.bsky.social · 9h

This week in 1988: 1,000+ ACT UP demonstrators shut down the FDA headquarters, demanding (and eventually winning) action on developing HIV/AIDS treatments. ACT UP's militant and creative actions always included powerful visual artwork, and paved the way for movements in the decades to come.

A photograph from the 1988 ACT UP demonstration outside the FDA. Many people are participating in a die-in on the front steps, holding mock tombstones with messages like "RIP - killed by the FDA" and "Dead from lack of drugs." A line of police officers (some with classic 80s mustaches) wearing riot helmets stands between them and the building; one cop wearing white gloves is walking through the demonstrators. Affixed to the 2nd story windows of the building is a series of posters and a large blank banner reading Silence = Death.

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Friends of the Palo Alto Library @fopal.bsky.social · 1d

That zine is so cool! All Friends of the Library groups are happy to have new volunteers, members, donations of books & media & $, and community members who will share our sales & activities with the community! Not only do we serve libraries, but we also serve non-profits, teachers, & more. ❤️

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Michele @smichele.bsky.social · 2d

Libraries and their staff are badass advocates of access and community - this is a great thread about helping your own public library.

Dylan Flesch @dylanflesch.bsky.social · 3d

Happy #BannedBooksWeek. If you love libraries and hate censorship, I'd encourage you to do more than just read a banned book this week. Here are a few ideas:
1. Get involved in your local public library board
2. Join or start a friends group
3. Organize a people's assembly for your public library

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strawberry garfield @bbburgerrr.bsky.social · 1d

if you’re in a pretty rural, low population county like i am, turns out sometimes all you need to do to get a seat if there’s a vacant one is just submit an application online lol

Dylan Flesch @dylanflesch.bsky.social · 3d

LIBRARY BOARDS
Pursue a seat on your local public library board. Your board may be elected, or it may be appointed. Need help finding details about your local board? For the People: A Leftist Library Project has you covered: data.librariesforthepeople.org

For The People

data.librariesforthepeople.org

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Preorder Read This When Things Fall Apart @mskellymhayes.bsky.social · 1d

They're talking about killing leftist activists. They're talking about murdering people organizing in defense of immigrant communities, doing mutual aid work, and protesting their violence. They are talking about murdering people like me and my friends. We must do more than acknowledge it's fascism.

Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 4d

My gosh. After the US bombed multiple boats in the middle of the ocean, murdering people on grounds that they were allegedly "carrying drugs," the US Attorney General says "Just like we did with cartels, we're going to take the same approach, President Trump, with Antifa."

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Kass G. @anarkass.bsky.social · 2d

If you have a library you can run for the board of, do it!

Otherwise you end up with a list of corporate interests being represented like we have in Philly.

(Ours are either voted in by the board or appointed by the mayor so they're all representatives of local power)

Dylan Flesch @dylanflesch.bsky.social · 3d

LIBRARY BOARDS
Pursue a seat on your local public library board. Your board may be elected, or it may be appointed. Need help finding details about your local board? For the People: A Leftist Library Project has you covered: data.librariesforthepeople.org

For The People

data.librariesforthepeople.org

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Dylan Flesch @dylanflesch.bsky.social · 3d

ETC
And think about all the other ways you may be able to get involved.
-Become a board watcher
-Speak up at a public meeting (council, library board, etc)
-Work with some friends on a #Warm4Holidays effort: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

#Warm4Holidays2024

#Warm4Holidays Public Library Edition For a few years on Twitter, I used the #Warm4Holidays hashtag to organize crafters to join a New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day challenge. Crafters were invited t...

docs.google.com

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Dylan Flesch @dylanflesch.bsky.social · 3d

ETC
Or watch the newly released public libraries 101 video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwsc...

How to help your public library

YouTube video by For the People Libraries

www.youtube.com

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Dylan Flesch @dylanflesch.bsky.social · 3d

ETC
If none of this feels right, there's definitely more ways to plug in. Check out FTP's Public Library 101 zine here: www.librariesforthepeople.org/s/Public-Lib...

www.librariesforthepeople.org

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Dylan Flesch @dylanflesch.bsky.social · 3d

PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY
FTP has you covered here too. Check out Public Library People's Assembly Toolkit: www.librariesforthepeople.org/resources#pe.... Another great org, @nycplan.org, has run two of these in NYC this year and is planning three more (one per borough) and they are great.

Resources — For The People

www.librariesforthepeople.org

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Dylan Flesch @dylanflesch.bsky.social · 3d

PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY
Maybe your local library system's board is in a large urban area and operates more as a "pay to play" reputation-washing operation than a true governance body. Maybe they also discourage/disallow friends groups. All is not lost. You can organize a People's Assembly!

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Dylan Flesch @dylanflesch.bsky.social · 3d

LIBRARY FRIENDS
Not feeling up to the board at this point? Try joining or starting a Friends of the Library group. FTP just launched a new zine about friends groups. Thanks to everyone on the team and @kruttika.bsky.social for designing it: www.librariesforthepeople.org/resources#fo...

Resources — For The People

www.librariesforthepeople.org

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Dylan Flesch @dylanflesch.bsky.social · 3d

LIBRARY BOARDS
If you're planning on pursuing a public library board seat, you can apply to the For the People (FTP) training cohort. It's a FREE 12-week course that kicks off in February 2026 and you can apply here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

FTP Library Elections & Appointments Training Cohort

Hello! You're filling out this form because you've expressed interest in running for or seeking appointment to a local library board seat in your community (or because you're a serving trustee who'd l...

docs.google.com

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Dylan Flesch @dylanflesch.bsky.social · 3d

LIBRARY BOARDS
Pursue a seat on your local public library board. Your board may be elected, or it may be appointed. Need help finding details about your local board? For the People: A Leftist Library Project has you covered: data.librariesforthepeople.org

For The People

data.librariesforthepeople.org

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Dylan Flesch @dylanflesch.bsky.social · 3d

Happy #BannedBooksWeek. If you love libraries and hate censorship, I'd encourage you to do more than just read a banned book this week. Here are a few ideas:
1. Get involved in your local public library board
2. Join or start a friends group
3. Organize a people's assembly for your public library

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A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 11d

It's fascinating and revealing how many centrists think refusing to compromise on human rights to gain the support of bigots represents a "political purity test," yet also think that a bigot saying "I won't join you unless you accommodate my bigotry" does NOT represent a "political purity test."

A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 12d

anyway:

www.the-reframe.com/winning-the-...

Winning the Middle

What makes for a purity test? What makes for a big tent? Unpacking the apparently pragmatic demand that we Speak Low about fascists to beat fascism.

www.the-reframe.com

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Liz Roderick, Veoma Jeziva 👻 @talesfrompurgatory.bsky.social · 11d

There’s been something I’ve been wanting to talk about on here for a while, but I’m always disturbed by the swarm of randos who somehow come pile on my posts when I talk about housing and housing costs.

BiH population is CRASHING. Legit crashing. But housing costs here still doubled since Covid.

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Andrea Pitzer @andreapitzer.bsky.social · 12d

I wrote about Ta-Nehisi Coates and Ezra Klein, why swallowing live frogs is a bad idea, and how context and history can release you from bright-kid syndrome, the illusion that you yourself are going to have every answer or fix the world.

You don't have to swallow frogs

Klein and Coates show that if you don't know what your core beliefs are, you're going to get played.

degenerateart.beehiiv.com

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A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 13d

We need a bigger tent, that’s why we must betray and expel the following types of people:

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Danielle Froom 🏳️‍🌈 @danifroom.bsky.social · 12d

I don't think we'll ever get another sentence which sums up everything the New York Times embodies quite like "Some legal experts have called it a crime to summarily kill civilians".

Matt Cameron @mattcameron.bsky.social · 12d

hey @nytimes.com: there is no counterpoint here. There are no credible legal experts who would EVER say that the US military has any right or authority to blow civilian craft out of the Caribbean and kill their crews from afar without any provocation. There is no other side to this question.

"Some legal experts have called it a crime to summarily kill civilians not directly taking part in hostilities, even if they are believed to be smuggling drugs."

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Will. (he/him) @iamwlaw.bsky.social · 13d

Aww! people.com/reading-rain...

Reading Rainbow Returns With New Host and Celebrity Guest Stars

Reading Rainbow is back after almost 20 years! The beloved children's TV program — which ran for 26 years before wrapping in 2006 — is celebrated for fostering childhood reading and literacy.

people.com

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Marc Fischer @marc-fischer.bsky.social · 14d

Little Free Anti-ICE Libraries: yesterday multiple people were abducted by ICE in my Chicago neighborhood (Avondale). This morning I added 40 ICE alert whistles to three different LFLs, including one box that is about a block from one of the kidnappings. I have ordered 700 whistles.

Bright orange individually packaged whistles, stapled to English and Spanish literature designed by Pilson Arts Community House in Chicago. They are placed inside a little free library in my neighborhood: Avondale in Chicago.

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NYC Public Library Action Network @nycplan.org · 17d

Do you want to take measurable and material action to protect and enhance our libraries?

Join us at our second People’s Assembly!

We’ll be at the NY Society for Ethical Culture in Manhattan [2 W 64th St] Saturday, October 4th, from 12:45-4:30pm.

RSVP : nycplanpeoplesassembly.eventbrite.com

NYCPLAN is hosting a People’s Assembly in Manhattan at the NY Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 W 64th st, on Saturday October 4th, from 12:45-4:30pm. RSVP at nycplanpeoplesassembly.eventbrite.com

In this image advertising the event, people are sitting around a table taking excitedly about their vision for NYC public libraries and how we can secure more funding for libraries. There will be snacks, and Spanish translation can be provided if asked for.

We’d love to see you there!

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