November 7, 2025 - Shutdown Day #38
Academic freedom in peril, a House seat up for grabs, solidarity forever, and more
🎖️ Veterans are coming together to say no to fascism and oligarchy… join town halls near us tomorrow and solidarity events this Tuesday 🎖️
Contact all members of Congress:
By phone: (202) 224-3121
By email: Congress.gov
By US mail: Representatives / Senators
By Resistbot: Resist.bot
If you have questions, comments, and especially submissions for actions, please email us at roganslisttips@gmail.com!
CAMPUS WALKOUTS FOR ACADEMIC FREEDOM TODAY
Students and educators at campuses across the country are pushing back against Trump’s “compact for academic excellence in higher education” and other attacks on colleges, universities and academic freedom. They’re holding teach-ins, walkouts, rallies, and more to call out the fascist encroachment nationwide today. We’re going to have their backs.
We can find campus events we can attend here. Students in Texas have prepared a “bill of rights” to summarize their demands for higher education in the Trump era we can circulate. And we can find a petition to college administrators we can add our names to here, and use it as talking points for direct contact with the leaders of colleges and universities we are connected to as students, employees or alums.
HELP FLIP ONE MORE HOUSE SEAT BEFORE NEW YEAR’S
We have one last chance in 2025 to send a message to Trump and narrow theGOP majority in the House. Voting is set to begin Wednesday for the December 2nd special election to fill a seat in Tennessee’s Seventh District vacated by MAGA Rep. Mark Green. This seat has been gerrymandered deep red, and both Trump and Green won it by more than 20 points last fall, and it will be a steep hill for us to climb. But longtime organizer and progressive state Rep. Aftyn Behn is running a fierce, vigorous campaign while Trump’s handpicked nominee and former General Services Commissioner Matt Van Epps has avoided the public and the media, and local Democrats are highly motivated. DNC chair Ken Martin just announced he’ll be traveling to the district to show up for Behn. Let’s be sure we’re doing the same! Here’s some ways we can help in this fight in the next few days:
SOLIDARITY WITH STRIKING STARBUCKS WORKERS
Unionized Starbucks workers are heading towards the December rush with the corporation still stalling on their first contract. As holiday promotions begin, they’ve authorized a strike starting next Thursday, November 13th if they still haven’t reached an agreement - their third work stoppage in the last 12 months.
The Starbucks Workers Union is asking us for solidarity by refusing to spend at Starbucks if they hit the picket line. Let’s sign the No Contract, No Coffee pledge, promising not to patronize any Starbucks store while workers are on strike. We can also share this video from More Perfect Union to help spread the word about this labor conflict.
KEEPING AN EYE ON…
Vets Say No is organizing town halls TOMORROW and rallies November 11th to honor Veterans Day and oppose fascism - find an event near us here and here
Public comments are due Monday on another Trump effort to weaken conservation protections - submit here and find sample language here
Share our stories of GOP-inflicted health care pain with the Economic Security Project or House Democrats
Join tenants unions in demanding a federal eviction moratorium here
No Kings mutual aid drives are ongoing - let’s find one near us or host our own
Spotify is running recruitment ads for ICE agents - find tips on how to cancel here
The T-Mobile boycott is on - learn more here, sign the pledge here
Join #SignsOfSolidarity canvasses to rally local businesses against ICE
Find protests near us daily via K. Starling’s We The People Dissent
Join the federal workers #SaveOurServices rapid response network here
It’s been my experience that academic freedom is an illusion. I’m a disabled Chicago social worker advocating for bodily autonomy in health care, specifically when it comes to releasing “audit trails” to patients upon request. That’s the document that shows who has accessed our medical records and the pertinent details. Incredibly, patients no longer have the right to view their own audit trails. I contacted the departments of Social Work, Pastoral Counseling, and Medical Ethics at a local University, seeking allies for public access to audit trails. I was shocked to learn that the person who heads legal for the university is the same person who heads legal for their affiliated hospital. I was even more shocked when my correspondence was ignored, given that bodily autonomy is inherent in the mission and stated values of all 3 academic departments. So much for academic freedom.