✍️ It’s Time to Make the Powerful Pick a Side
No More Neutrality: Hold Leaders Accountable for What They Do—and Don’t Say.
Editor’s Note: I’ve written two pieces to encourage courage—this one for powerful voices at the top, and this one for trusted voices in every community.
Many people are already doing the work—helping their neighbors, organizing, speaking out. We see that visibly during the protest rallies this year.
But we’re still hitting a wall.
Because too many people with real influence remain silent.
Business leaders. University presidents. Union heads. Nonprofit CEOs. Entertainers. Athletes. Celebrities. People with platforms, cash, networks—and choices.
They can speak out. They can refuse to fund hate. They can stand with working people. But they don’t—unless we make them.
Too many stay silent—because they’re afraid. Afraid of losing customers. Afraid of being called “divisive.” Afraid of being seen as political. Afraid of retribution by Trump & Co.
But silence is political. And neutrality, in the face of injustice, isn’t neutral. It’s protection for the status quo.
If they’re more afraid of bad press than rising fascism, we’ve got a bigger problem.
So, here’s how we start making them uncomfortable:
🧱 1. Put local business leaders on the record.
Ask your chamber of commerce: Do you support candidates who back voter suppression or union-busting?
Ask small business owners: Will you host a voter registration drive? Will you pay a living wage?
📍Impact: Public pressure works better than boycotts. They rely on reputation. Let’s make silence reputationally risky.
📣 2. Call on artists, athletes, and influencers to take a stand.
Ask entertainers who play major venues or get brand deals: What do you stand for? Will you speak up? Will you use your platform for the people—or just for profit?
Ask athletes: Will you wear the message? Will you use the mic?
📍Impact: Culture moves hearts faster than policy. If you're a fan, your voice matters.
💼 3. Push unions and nonprofits to be bolder.
Ask your union: Are we supporting candidates who protect all workers—or just playing safe?
Ask nonprofits: Are we taking political heat, or staying quiet to keep funding?
📍Impact: These organizations have people-power and credibility. We need them loud, not neutral.
📢 4. Show up where they are.
Protest at fundraisers, gala dinners, corporate meetings, campuses.
Ask questions in public forums. Make them go on the record.
📍Impact: Wealth and power hide behind polish. Disrupt the comfort zone and shift the dynamic.
💥 5. Make "neutral" expensive.
If a local business funds a far-right candidate, spread the word.
If a celebrity stays silent while their platform profits off injustice, tag them.
Use social media to say: We see you. Pick a side.
📍Impact: Silence feels safe—until enough people call it out. Then it becomes a liability.
Movements grow when people with power realize it costs more to stay quiet than to speak up.
Let’s raise the cost in our communities—but nationally, too.
We’re not just asking for statements.
We’re demanding action.
You're either with the people or you're protecting the powerful.
Also See
✍️Your Community’s Voice is a Force. Let’s Unleash It.
In Every Town, Small Acts of Courage Add Up.
🟦 Executive Overreach & Abuse of Power
A ranked guide to organizations resisting authoritarianism and defending democratic norms.
A ranked guide to legal groups challenging anti-democratic policies and abuses of power.
🟥Freedoms of Speech, Press & Assembly
A ranked guide to organizations safeguarding free expression and civic participation.
🏛️ Contacting Washington State Officials & Key Departments
🏛️ Contact Information: Washington's U.S. Senators and Representatives