Letters to the Resistance

Written in the form of letters to the people rallying in the “resistance” for freedom and democracy, Charles Derber details elements of popular action to defeat the authoritarianism of President Trump and his allied corporate oligarchs. Letters to the Resistance draws on Derber’s experience in the civil rights movement and mobilization against the war in Vietnam to offer lessons that help protesters sustain resistance. Each letter imparts essential lessons of resistance learned by previous generations, highlighting the necessity of building resistance networks, confronting capitalism, and the use of populism and electoralism – emphasizing that true democracy cannot be created by returning to life before Trump. Addressed to students, activists, and the general public, these letters detail the fundamentals of resistance to not only defeat Trump but change the conditions that gave rise to fascism.