10% of every order funds grassroots organizing  ·  Drop 04 now live.

Rebels & Rights

The Dispatch

Dispatches from the movement. Stories, strategy, and the occasional screed.

4 dispatches & counting

Two women in conversation — productive dialogue
Featured

How to Talk to Someone Who Disagrees With You (Without Losing Your Mind)

The research on what actually changes minds — and what makes things worse. A guide for anyone who has ever left a dinner table in despair. The Bad News First Most of the things people instinctively do when trying to change someone's mind don't work. Statistics make people defensive. Fact-checking in the moment tends to produce the "backfire effect" — where people double down on wrong beliefs when corrected. Anger, however justified, shuts down the part of the brain responsible for updating beliefs. Long lectures produce resentment, not conversion. If you've been in a political conversation that felt like talking to a wall, this is probably why. What Actually Works: The Research The good news is that political persuasion researchers have spent decades studying what actually changes minds, and they have some concrete answers. Deep canvassing. This technique, developed by the Los Angeles LGBT Center and now used widely in progressive organizing, involves having extended (10–20 minute), non-confrontational conversations that focus on personal narratives rather than arguments. Studies have found it produces durable attitude change — the effects persist months later. The key elements: genuine curiosity about the other person's experience, sharing your own personal story, and not trying to "win." Motivational interviewing. Originally developed in addiction counseling, MI is built on the insight that people resist being told what to do but are often open to exploring their own ambivalence. Rather than making the case for change, you ask questions that help the other person articulate their own reasons for it. It requires genuine listening and suppressing the urge to argue. Finding shared values before disagreeing on specifics. Most political conflicts are actually conflicts about how to achieve shared values, not the values themselves. Most conservatives and most liberals want families to be safe, children to be healthy, and economies to be functional. They disagree intensely about how to achieve those things. Starting from shared values before moving to disagreements changes the entire tone of the conversation. Practical Tactics Ask more than you tell. "What made you feel that way?" gets further than "that's wrong because..." Acknowledge what's true in what they're saying. Most political positions contain at least a kernel of legitimate concern. Finding and acknowledging it — genuinely, not condescendingly — disarms defensiveness. Share your personal story. Abstract arguments bounce off people. Personal stories that explain why you care about something reach them differently. "I care about this because my mother couldn't afford healthcare" lands differently than a PowerPoint about the uninsured. Don't try to win the conversation. If you go in trying to defeat someone, they'll sense it and shut down. Go in trying to understand them — genuinely. You might not change their mind. You might change your own. Both are valuable. Know when to disengage. Not every conversation is worth having. Someone who is arguing in bad faith, who gets off on provoking you, or who is using hateful rhetoric is not a persuasion project — they're a boundary question. It's okay to say "I don't think this conversation is going anywhere useful" and leave the table. The Longer Game Individual conversations rarely produce dramatic change. What they do is move people slightly — and over time, in combination with other inputs, slightly becomes significantly. The research on how people change their minds politically is humbling: it rarely happens in a single confrontation. It happens gradually, when someone accumulates enough experiences, conversations, and information to make a shift feel safe. Your job, in any given conversation, isn't to get someone all the way from A to Z. It's to move them a half step, and maybe plant a question that they keep thinking about after you're gone. That's slow work. It requires patience and humility. And it's probably the most important organizing skill you can develop.

The Dispatch 3 min read Read Now

All Dispatches

People joining hands in solidarity
The Dispatch 3 min read

10 Organizations Worth Supporting Right Now

Where to put your money and time if you want it to actually do something. A practical guide from people who have done the research. We give ten percent of every Rebels & Rights order to organizations doing the hard work. Here are the ones we're watching, funding, and recommending — and why. Reproductive Rights National Network of Abortion Funds NNAF doesn't do policy or advocacy — it gives money to people who need abortions and can't afford them or can't travel to get them. Since Dobbs, the need has increased dramatically while state-level restrictions have made access harder. Practical, direct, immediate impact. This is where donation dollars go furthest. Center for Reproductive Rights The legal organization doing the hardest courtroom work to defend and expand reproductive rights at the federal and state level. The lawyers who argue these cases and the researchers who build the evidentiary record. Not glamorous work; essential work. Voting Rights & Democracy Fair Fight Action Founded by Stacey Abrams after the 2018 Georgia governor's race, Fair Fight works on voter registration, voter protection, and voting rights litigation. Their work in Georgia — which flipped two Senate seats and the 2020 presidential election — is the case study for what sustained investment in voter registration and protection actually produces. ACLU Voting Rights Project The ACLU litigates voting rights cases in every state where voting access is being restricted. If you want to support legal defense of the right to vote, this is one of the most efficient places to put money — their lawyers are winning cases. Trans Rights & LGBTQ+ Justice Transgender Law Center The largest national trans-led legal organization in the U.S. Does impact litigation, policy advocacy, and direct legal services for trans people facing discrimination. The legal landscape for trans people has gotten dramatically more hostile; TLC is one of the primary organizations fighting back in courts and legislatures. The Trevor Project Crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ young people. In a moment when anti-trans legislation and social hostility are driving mental health crises in queer youth, Trevor's crisis line and text line are literally saving lives. One of the clearest cases in the nonprofit sector for direct, measurable impact. Climate & Environmental Justice Environmental and Climate Justice program (NAACP) The NAACP's environmental justice work focuses on the communities most impacted by pollution and climate change — predominantly Black communities near industrial facilities, in flood zones, and in heat islands. Connects civil rights infrastructure to environmental justice organizing. Earthjustice The legal arm of the environmental movement. They litigate on behalf of communities facing pollution and corporate environmental destruction — for free. Their tagline is "Because the Earth needs a good lawyer," and honestly, it's accurate. Their wins in federal courts have prevented enormous amounts of environmental harm. Immigration Justice RAICES The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services provides free and low-cost immigration legal services in Texas — which, given current federal enforcement priorities, puts them at the center of the crisis. They also do policy advocacy and family reunification work. A direct-service organization doing urgent work. Mental Health & Community Care NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) America's largest grassroots mental health organization, with affiliates in every state. Peer-to-peer support groups, family education programs, and advocacy for mental health policy and funding. In a moment of widespread mental health crisis, NAMI's community infrastructure is some of the most important work happening in this space. How to Give Effectively A few principles worth considering: Recurring donations beat one-time giving. Organizations can plan around recurring revenue. Even $10/month is more valuable than a $200 one-time gift because it's predictable. Unrestricted donations are the most useful. When you give to a specific campaign or program, you're constraining how the organization can use the money. Unrestricted general operating support lets them put money where it's needed most. Volunteer time compounds donation impact. If you have skills — legal, medical, technological, organizational — most of these organizations can use them. Skilled volunteers do things money can't buy. Local organizations are often under-resourced. The national orgs get most of the donations. Your local abortion fund, your county's legal aid organization, your city's mutual aid network — they're often doing as much work with far less money. Don't underestimate local giving.

Read
Crowd of protesters with signs at a rally
The Dispatch 3 min read

Why Graphic Tees Are a Form of Political Speech

The long, strange history of clothing as protest — from the suffragettes to today. The Body as Billboard Before there was Instagram, before there was cable news, before there was the printing press, humans used their bodies and their clothing to communicate. Tribal markings, mourning dress, religious habit, military uniform — clothing has always been a language. The question isn't whether your clothing communicates. It's what it says, and to whom, and why. Political clothing in the modern sense — clothing designed to make a specific, legible statement about power and justice — has a history at least as old as the organized labor movement. Union members wore pins and ribbons. Abolitionists wore anti-slavery medallions. The tradition of using what you wear as a form of speech is older than most of the rights we're currently fighting to protect. The Suffragettes and the Politics of White One of the most sophisticated uses of clothing as political speech in American history was the suffragette movement's adoption of the color white. White dresses weren't an accident or a fashion choice — they were a deliberate visual strategy. The suffragettes were attacking a specific charge: that women who wanted the vote were unfeminine, radical, dangerous. White dresses communicated femininity, respectability, purity — all the things that the anti-suffrage movement said suffragettes weren't. It was rhetorical judo, using the visual language of conventional femininity to undermine the argument that women who wanted rights were somehow monstrous. When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and dozens of other Democratic congresswomen wore white to Trump's 2019 State of the Union address, they were invoking that exact tradition, deliberately and effectively. The New York Times ran a full piece explaining the symbolism. That's what good visual communication does: it makes people ask questions. Protest T-Shirts: A Short History The graphic t-shirt as political medium emerged in the 1960s and hasn't stopped evolving since. Early political tees were often homemade — iron-on letters, screen printing in someone's garage. The technology limited the sophistication of the message but not its effectiveness. Some political t-shirts have become iconic cultural artifacts. The "I Am a Man" shirts worn by sanitation workers during the 1968 Memphis strike were simple and devastating — a direct rebuttal to the dehumanizing conditions they were protesting. The "This Is What a Feminist Looks Like" shirt, popularized in the early 2000s, did exactly what good protest fashion does: challenged an assumption by making the challenger visible. The "I Can't Breathe" shirts worn after Eric Garner's death in 2014 spread from protest marches to NBA arenas to high school gymnasiums within weeks. When LeBron James wore one during warmups, it was the front page of every newspaper in the country. That's the reach that protest fashion has now — not despite its simplicity, but because of it. What Makes a Good Political Shirt Not all political clothing is equally effective. The best activist apparel does a few things: It starts a conversation. The goal isn't to preach to people who already agree — it's to make people who don't agree yet ask a question. "What does that mean?" "Why does that matter?" That's the entry point. It's specific enough to mean something but broad enough to be personal. "Women's Rights Are Human Rights" works because it's specific about what's at stake but legible to a huge range of people. Overly insider language plays well at the march but confuses everyone else. It belongs to the person wearing it. The most effective political fashion connects to genuine belief. Wearing a shirt about a cause you don't actually care about reads as hollow. Wearing one about something that genuinely matters to you — that anger or commitment shows, somehow, even through fabric. It looks good. This isn't trivial. Good design signals that the movement takes itself seriously. It commands a second look. It makes people think the cause might be worth taking seriously too. The Limits, Too Wearing the shirt is not the same as doing the work. Fashion activism can become a substitute for organizing rather than a complement to it — a way to feel like you're doing something without actually doing anything. The shirt matters when it starts conversations that turn into donations, phone calls, volunteer hours, and votes. When it's part of a broader practice of engagement, it does real work. When it's the only thing, it's cosplay. We started Rebels & Rights because we believe in both: the political power of making your values visible, and the necessity of backing up what you wear with what you do. The shirt matters. So does everything else.

Read
Black Lives Matter protest march, London 2020
The Dispatch 4 min read

How to Prepare for Your First Protest: A Complete Guide

Everything you need to know before you show up — from what to wear to what to do if things go sideways. First: You Belong There If you've never been to a protest and you're nervous about going, that's normal. The most common thing people say after their first march is some version of: "I wish I'd done this sooner." Protests are, mostly, just large groups of people walking and chanting together. They feel less intimidating in person than they look on the news, in part because the news tends to focus on conflict over the overwhelming majority of marches that are peaceful, boring, and meaningful. You don't need to be an expert activist. You don't need to have the most radical politics in the room. You just need to show up. Do Your Research Before you go, know the basics: Who's organizing it? Is this a march organized by a major coalition (Planned Parenthood, the NAACP, Indivisible), a local grassroots group, or something more informal? This affects logistics, likely crowd size, and political context. What's the route? Organizers usually publish a route or at least a start and end point. Know where you're going and how long it's expected to take. What are the goals? What is this march asking for? What change is it demanding? You don't have to agree with every position of every organizer, but you should understand what you're participating in. What are the local laws? In most U.S. cities, peaceful marching on sidewalks or in permitted street closures is fully legal. Some cities require permits; most permitted marches have them. Unpermitted marches carry more risk. Know what you're walking into. What to Wear and Bring Wear layers. Weather changes. So does how you feel after four hours of walking. Comfortable shoes. This is the single most important clothing choice. Protests often involve more standing and walking than you expect. Blisters are the enemy of solidarity. Goggles or glasses if you have them, in case of crowd control spray. Not required, but useful. Cash, not just a card. If you need to pay for water or food or transit, cash works when card readers don't. Your ID — though you may not need it, it's wise to have it. A fully charged phone and a portable battery if you have one. Write down (on paper, in pen, on your arm) the phone number of a lawyer or legal observer hotline for your city. In the event your phone is taken or dead, you'll need a number you can call from someone else's phone. Water and a snack. March organizers don't usually have food. Take care of your body. Your R&R shirt, obviously. If You're Going With People Establish a meeting point before you start marching — somewhere specific, not "near the fountain." Decide how you'll communicate if you get separated. Make sure everyone knows the phone number of the legal observer line. If someone in your group is a minor, or has a medical condition that could be affected by heat, crowding, or exertion, have a plan for that. Know Your Rights In the United States, you have the right to protest in public spaces. Police cannot arrest you simply for being present at a protest. You cannot be arrested for refusing to give your name in most states (though in some states, if you're detained, you are required to identify yourself — know your state's rules). If you're arrested or detained: Stay calm. Compliance with arrest is not admission of guilt. Say clearly: "I am invoking my right to remain silent" and "I want a lawyer." Do not answer questions until you have spoken with a lawyer. You can be held for up to 48 hours without being charged in most jurisdictions. The ACLU has know-your-rights resources specific to your state at aclu.org. What to Do If Things Get Tense The vast majority of protests are peaceful. But if the situation escalates: Don't escalate. If someone is trying to provoke conflict, don't engage. Walk away. Move to the edges. If a crowd gets compressed or panics, the middle is the most dangerous place. Move toward the sides and exits. Stay with someone. Don't get separated from your group in a chaotic situation. Know where the exits are. Before the march starts, orient yourself: where are the cross streets, the subway entrances, the open spaces? After the March Protests feel good. Then you go home and the world is still the same and you feel let down. That's normal. Single events rarely change things directly — they're part of a longer arc. What matters is what you do next. Connect with the organizations that organized the march. Sign up for their list. Come to their next event. Bring a friend who didn't come this time. Make a recurring donation if you can afford it. Call your representatives. Vote. The march is the beginning, not the finish line.

Read

Drops, dispatches,
direct.

New designs, organizing news, the occasional dispatch from the field. No spam. Unsubscribe in one click.

14,800+ subscribers One email / week