Madison N. Garcia
@madisonngarcia.bsky.social
Native Angeleno in the South.
Strategist to leaders and organizations catalyzing social change.
Wayfinder, photographer, often outdoors.
Interested in what slows us down, wakes us up, and connects us to each other.
Strategist to leaders and organizations catalyzing social change.
Wayfinder, photographer, often outdoors.
Interested in what slows us down, wakes us up, and connects us to each other.
Reposted by Madison N. Garcia
Remembering today that having your heart broken is a necessary step on the path to becoming fully human. Whichever heartbreak is your first, it’s probably critical that a state break your heart so that you can develop a political imagination. If this is your first, I’m sorry and also welcome.
January 8, 2026 at 10:33 PM
Remembering today that having your heart broken is a necessary step on the path to becoming fully human. Whichever heartbreak is your first, it’s probably critical that a state break your heart so that you can develop a political imagination. If this is your first, I’m sorry and also welcome.
Reposted by Madison N. Garcia
In 2026 I want all of the decent people to remember one thing.
You aren’t meant to be this disciplined, this self-sacrificing to survive. The environment is supposed to support good living. We can have that. You are not a failure. That is politics.
That is all.
You aren’t meant to be this disciplined, this self-sacrificing to survive. The environment is supposed to support good living. We can have that. You are not a failure. That is politics.
That is all.
January 1, 2026 at 10:30 PM
In 2026 I want all of the decent people to remember one thing.
You aren’t meant to be this disciplined, this self-sacrificing to survive. The environment is supposed to support good living. We can have that. You are not a failure. That is politics.
That is all.
You aren’t meant to be this disciplined, this self-sacrificing to survive. The environment is supposed to support good living. We can have that. You are not a failure. That is politics.
That is all.
Reposted by Madison N. Garcia
Also: it will be possible and necessary to grieve and act at the same time. And we'll need to lean on each other as we do this.
PSA: It is ok — and necessary — to grieve right now
July 3, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Also: it will be possible and necessary to grieve and act at the same time. And we'll need to lean on each other as we do this.
What's got me hanging on by a thread these days: the amount of people moving from a place of resolve, generosity--even joyfulness--in this hellscape. There are no small gestures, friends. We need all of us and every shred of light.
July 3, 2025 at 4:56 PM
What's got me hanging on by a thread these days: the amount of people moving from a place of resolve, generosity--even joyfulness--in this hellscape. There are no small gestures, friends. We need all of us and every shred of light.
Reposted by Madison N. Garcia
If you're reading this, whoever you are & whatever you're doing to try to make this world better, whether it's calling, protesting, providing mutual aid, making art, raising awareness, training & teaching people new concepts & skills, journalism, surviving through it all, or whatever else: thank you
July 1, 2025 at 8:37 PM
If you're reading this, whoever you are & whatever you're doing to try to make this world better, whether it's calling, protesting, providing mutual aid, making art, raising awareness, training & teaching people new concepts & skills, journalism, surviving through it all, or whatever else: thank you
Built a sandcastle for the first time in too long. Reminded of the restorative power of play and deep rest.
April 18, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Built a sandcastle for the first time in too long. Reminded of the restorative power of play and deep rest.
Reposted by Madison N. Garcia
"On Tyranny" is a #1 NYT bestseller again. I wish the moment were different. But I’m glad the book is useful. And grateful for all the kind words about putting the 20 lessons to work.
snyder.substack.com/p/twenty-les...
snyder.substack.com/p/twenty-les...
Twenty Lessons, read by John Lithgow
Key selections from On Tyranny, for viewing and sharing
snyder.substack.com
April 12, 2025 at 5:33 PM
"On Tyranny" is a #1 NYT bestseller again. I wish the moment were different. But I’m glad the book is useful. And grateful for all the kind words about putting the 20 lessons to work.
snyder.substack.com/p/twenty-les...
snyder.substack.com/p/twenty-les...
Some words that have been really taking root:
"Resistance is not wanting to live in the limited imagination of the white colonial mind." —Céline Semaan
"Resistance is not wanting to live in the limited imagination of the white colonial mind." —Céline Semaan
April 13, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Some words that have been really taking root:
"Resistance is not wanting to live in the limited imagination of the white colonial mind." —Céline Semaan
"Resistance is not wanting to live in the limited imagination of the white colonial mind." —Céline Semaan
A bit of water for the journey (some desperately needed good news).
World-renown cellist Yo-Yo Ma showed up in a downtown Los Angeles warehouse Sunday night to play with kids from LAUSD where about a dozen school employees maintain and repair the school district’s 130,000 instruments.
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
'Last Repair Shop' for LAUSD musicians gets $1-million gift, plus a visit from Yo-Yo Ma
The LAUSD program that provides free working instruments and was featured in the Oscar-winning doc 'The Last Repair Shop' receives $1 million to safeguard its future. Yo-Yo Ma marks the occasion with ...
www.latimes.com
April 8, 2025 at 12:51 AM
A bit of water for the journey (some desperately needed good news).
Reminded again and again of the power of gathering, of sharing physical space, of witnessing one another up close—in our joy and grief, in our rage, often all at the same time.
Marching, dancing, singing, huddling around a kitchen table—protest takes a thousand forms and none are insignificant.
Marching, dancing, singing, huddling around a kitchen table—protest takes a thousand forms and none are insignificant.
April 6, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Reminded again and again of the power of gathering, of sharing physical space, of witnessing one another up close—in our joy and grief, in our rage, often all at the same time.
Marching, dancing, singing, huddling around a kitchen table—protest takes a thousand forms and none are insignificant.
Marching, dancing, singing, huddling around a kitchen table—protest takes a thousand forms and none are insignificant.
Reposted by Madison N. Garcia
Learn about a new funder pledge developed by Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, & National Center for Family Philanthropy. It’s the latest installment of “Defend Nonprofits, Defend Democracy” on Fund the People Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/f...
April 4, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Learn about a new funder pledge developed by Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, & National Center for Family Philanthropy. It’s the latest installment of “Defend Nonprofits, Defend Democracy” on Fund the People Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/f...
Looking forward to this! My first time at HRB.
TOMORROW NIGHT (4/5): The Tallest Man on Earth is here for a SOLO show with The Still Tide. Doors at 7pm, show at 8! Still time to get advance tickets!! bit.ly/TallestManAp...
April 4, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Looking forward to this! My first time at HRB.
"Play courts joy. Play disobeys. It wouldn’t be play without some level of rebellion. Play moves toward knowing by not knowing. Play is somatic. Play is how the body laughs.
...It’s disruptive. It’s expansive. The government knows it. The cops know it."
shiraerlichman.substack.com/p/play-is-se...
...It’s disruptive. It’s expansive. The government knows it. The cops know it."
shiraerlichman.substack.com/p/play-is-se...
Play is Serious Business
Dispatch #41: It’s disruptive. It’s expansive. The government knows it. The cops know it.
shiraerlichman.substack.com
April 4, 2025 at 7:07 PM
"Play courts joy. Play disobeys. It wouldn’t be play without some level of rebellion. Play moves toward knowing by not knowing. Play is somatic. Play is how the body laughs.
...It’s disruptive. It’s expansive. The government knows it. The cops know it."
shiraerlichman.substack.com/p/play-is-se...
...It’s disruptive. It’s expansive. The government knows it. The cops know it."
shiraerlichman.substack.com/p/play-is-se...
Ross Gay bringing the medicine on the heels of this terror of a week.
"I remember. My color's green. l'm spring."
"I remember. My color's green. l'm spring."
April 4, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Ross Gay bringing the medicine on the heels of this terror of a week.
"I remember. My color's green. l'm spring."
"I remember. My color's green. l'm spring."
This is what it looks like to really hold the line.
Writing on behalf of Cal Wellness, CEO Richard Tate affirms our commitment to health as a human right, and our belief that wellness requires social and racial justice.
Read more: www.calwellness.org/stories/we-s...
Read more: www.calwellness.org/stories/we-s...
We Shall Not Be Moved - The California Wellness Foundation
We are witnessing a brutal attempt to remake America under the Trump administration in 2025. This is not just a political shift; it is a moral test. This is where we take a stand. The California Welln...
www.calwellness.org
April 4, 2025 at 12:53 PM
This is what it looks like to really hold the line.
Joyspotting in my neighborhood. Spring in all her glory—reminders of renewal, possibility.
April 2, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Joyspotting in my neighborhood. Spring in all her glory—reminders of renewal, possibility.
Leaning on my grief practice a lot these days.
Finding anchoring this morning in the words of Malkia Devich-Cyril:
"Grief is an evolutionary indicator of love—the kind of great love that guides revolutionaries."
Finding anchoring this morning in the words of Malkia Devich-Cyril:
"Grief is an evolutionary indicator of love—the kind of great love that guides revolutionaries."
April 2, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Leaning on my grief practice a lot these days.
Finding anchoring this morning in the words of Malkia Devich-Cyril:
"Grief is an evolutionary indicator of love—the kind of great love that guides revolutionaries."
Finding anchoring this morning in the words of Malkia Devich-Cyril:
"Grief is an evolutionary indicator of love—the kind of great love that guides revolutionaries."
Reposted by Madison N. Garcia
At the end of the day, folks just want to see more people in power sacrifice and put something, ANYTHING, on the line for people with way less power.
April 1, 2025 at 9:39 PM
At the end of the day, folks just want to see more people in power sacrifice and put something, ANYTHING, on the line for people with way less power.
Reposted by Madison N. Garcia
Reposted by Madison N. Garcia
New — Here is a running list of Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) offices that have either been fully eliminated or gutted into non-functionality as a result of today's mass firings (provided to me directly by a CDC staffer):
April 1, 2025 at 3:25 PM
New — Here is a running list of Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) offices that have either been fully eliminated or gutted into non-functionality as a result of today's mass firings (provided to me directly by a CDC staffer):
Reposted by Madison N. Garcia
This data is stark. That's why my colleagues turned this around less than two weeks after survey close -- and got it out into the world today. Funders: this is what nonprofits are experiencing and what they're looking for from you all. cep.org/wp-content/u...
cep.org
March 6, 2025 at 1:27 AM
This data is stark. That's why my colleagues turned this around less than two weeks after survey close -- and got it out into the world today. Funders: this is what nonprofits are experiencing and what they're looking for from you all. cep.org/wp-content/u...
"Responsible journalism does not just report events. It contextualizes them, challenges abuses of power, and—crucially—minimizes harm."
When Journalism Becomes a Weapon: A Call for Ethical Reporting - nonprofitquarterly.org/when-journal...
When Journalism Becomes a Weapon: A Call for Ethical Reporting - nonprofitquarterly.org/when-journal...
When Journalism Becomes a Weapon: A Call for Ethical Reporting - Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
A call from NPQ's editor in chief for ethical reporting and journalism to defend democracy, civil society institutions, and civil rights.
nonprofitquarterly.org
March 3, 2025 at 7:03 PM
"Responsible journalism does not just report events. It contextualizes them, challenges abuses of power, and—crucially—minimizes harm."
When Journalism Becomes a Weapon: A Call for Ethical Reporting - nonprofitquarterly.org/when-journal...
When Journalism Becomes a Weapon: A Call for Ethical Reporting - nonprofitquarterly.org/when-journal...