Three Wins Today: Sept 8, 2025
Every win is worth amplifying
This morning, I had a chance to talk to Missouri State Rep Ray Reed who spent the weekend+ sitting in the Missouri house chambers to bring attention to their redistricting fight.
I asked him why did he and Jeremy Dean and Elizabeth Fuchs do this if it’s not gonna change the outcome.
He said he was “inspired by the sit ins during the civil rights movement. Sit ins didn’t mean they were going to make every diner safe for Black people right away” but that didn’t mean it was pointless.
I hope that we can all learn from those sit ins and be inspired by Rep Reed. We will not always succeed, that is not necessarily the point. If we only did things that we succeeded at, we would never do anything at all.
Change is slow. I know no one likes to hear that, but it is. There’s a reason the fable of the tortoise and the hare is what it is.
And every little bit of resistance adds up. And so does every bit of attention we can bring to that resistance to that fight and every other. Because they didn’t just do this for them they did this for the gerrymandering conversation as a whole. Missouri is not gonna be the last state that tries this and each time we learn a little bit more about best practices we learn a little bit more about the best way to fight back. We prepare a little bit more for the incoming lawsuits.
The last thing he said was “Democrats did didn’t pick this fight, but we’re also not afraid of it”
Republicans showed up in the House today just to move up the vote for this god-awful bill. They quite literally walked in and walked out, Reed said.
This is going to pass, but that doesn’t mean we stop fighting and bringing attention. The court of public opinion is a powerful one and as much as judges say they don’t listen to it, well, just read the opinions when a ruling comes down on our side, they definitely do.
So don’t stop talking about Missouri and Texas and Indiana and volunteer to help California because prop 50 has to pass on November 4.
Our voices are our superpower, even if we don’t win immediately our voices are still our superpower, but they only make an impact if we use them.
Nice to start with a win for once, no? Though I guess if a win doesn’t come with change, many people unfortunately don’t classify it as a win.
Anyway, here are three more!
Los Angeles, California
Mon, Sept 1 - KCAL News, a CBS affiliate, did a segment on guerilla art protests happening around LA.
They spotlit this mural by Robert Vargas titled “Nourishing the Community,” which reporter Laurie Perez described as “an immigrant woman as a protector and provider for the community.”
VJay Bombs and their projections of ICE agents handcuffing various workers, including one frame of Jesus, who absolutely would have been deported in this current climate.
Finally Refuse Fascism LA projected photos of those who have been detained and deported on the side of the Downtown LA detention center.
Some of these people are in the detention center as we speak.
It’s an important reminder of the power of art in the resistance moment. Don’t listen to anyone tell you otherwise, cause, I know you’re hearing it.
Utah
Tue, Sept 2 - State Judge, Dianna Gibson, ruled for the second time in a week that the Utah Congressional map redistricting case may proceed. This is a slightly ridiculous, if important step in the case to getting their maps changed:
Under the circumstances and balancing the competing interests at stake, the Court cannot conclude that a stay is "just" under the circumstances. First, the Motion for Stay does not demonstrate or explain how the Court erred; rather, it repeats arguments this Court previously considered and rejected. Nonetheless, this Court reconsidered its ruling. Having undertaken that exercise, this Court stands by the legal analysis and the decision to enjoin the use of H.B. 2004, the 2021 Congressional Plan
Basically, since you asked so nicely, I looked again, and low and behold, I still agree with my ruling from a week about. Would you look at that!
I’m joking, except not really, cause her comments definitely constitute as snarky by judicial order standard.
The state was trying to argue that there isn’t enough time to change the maps before 2026, if they appeal. She didn’t agree last week, and she doesn’t agree now.
The case is now likely headed to the Utah Supreme Court, and then hopefully this redistricting can begin!
West Coast, USA
Wed, Sept 3 - California, Oregon and Washington formed the Western Health Alliance. In a joint statement, Governors Gavin Newsom (CA), Tina Kotek (OR) and Bob Ferguson (WA) said:
President Donald Trump’s mass firing of CDC doctors and scientists — and his blatant politicization of the agency — is a direct assault on the health and safety of the American people. The CDC has become a political tool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science, ideology that will lead to severe health consequences. California, Oregon, and Washington will not allow the people of our states to be put at risk.
Less than 24-hours later, Hawai’i joined the alliance. Hawai’i Governor Josh Green, a former emergency room doctor himself, said:
Hawaii is proud to stand with our West Coast partners to ensure public health decisions are grounded in science, not politics. As an island state, we understand how critical it is to protect our communities from preventable disease. By joining the West Coast Health Alliance, we’re giving Hawaii’s people the same consistent, evidence-based guidance they can trust to keep their families and neighbors safe. Using science as our guiding star, Hawaii had the highest vaccination rate and lowest mortality rate of virtually any other state or region across the globe. This approach is critical as we all go forward into an era with severe threats from infectious diseases.
I’m very excited to hear more about the West Coast alliance and what they are able to do. The question is will all insurance companies listen to them, and if not, what can they do about it, but only time will tell.
So those are some of today’s wins!
I hope they help inspire you.
Our voices are our superpower, but only when we use them!
I LOVE the art as resistance win! Thank you for sharing it, Ariella! 🎨
Keep up this very important & significant work!!!