Indivisible activists Laura Siena (from left), Shirley Brown, Amory Meigs, Stefanie Seldin, Moya Kinnealey, Andrea Koplove, Mindy Brown and Genie Ravital are seen outside the High Point Coffee Shop at the Allens Lane Train Station recently before heading out to canvass in Delaware County.

by Len Lear

It is no secret that Northwest Philadelphia is one of the most liberal communities in the U.S. In some parts of this area it would be easier to find buried treasure from the 16th century than to find a Trump voter. However, that does not necessarily mean it is easy to recruit people to become activists and organize effectively to thwart the extreme right-wing Trump agenda.

But a new organization called Indivisible NW Philly has about 600 individuals who receive a weekly email "call to action" and have remained (or gotten) involved since 2016. There are also Indivisible chapters on the Main Line, in Center City and in all the surrounding counties.

“After 2016 it became clear just how much I, like many Democrats, had been asleep at the wheel, emphasizing national races and the presidency over the state houses and the governors' offices,” explained Mindy M. Brown, who has been called a driving force behind Indivisible NW Philly's strategy this summer and fall to support candidates for state and federal office in districts that may conceivably be flipped from Republican to Democrat.

“People look at Trump as the problem, but really Trumpism has had its foothold in the state for years, with numerous mini-Trumps leading the way on Medicaid cuts, voting rights and civil rights rollbacks, anti-LGBTQ legislation, restrictions on women's reproductive rights and anti-immigrant initiatives.”

Brown, 55, a native of Erie, has lived in Philly for 38 years and Mt. Airy for 25 years. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she has worked as a magazine, journal and book editor. She currently edits books and journals as a freelancer.

“I've always been a political junkie: My parents were immigrants to the U.S. and reveled in the free press here, so the whole family watches and reads the news incessantly. I've always volunteered on national campaigns (since Jimmy Carter) but not very many local races — until the last two years, especially after the 2016 elections.”

“Indivisible” began as a Google document that started in circulation right after the 2016 election of Trump. Written by former Congressional staffers, the “Indivisible Guide” provided a blueprint for proactive grassroots resistance: voters use their constituent power to call on members of Congress (by phone or in person, at elected officials' offices) to make their voices heard when legislation is up for consideration, when cabinet appointees or judges are up for nomination or when Trump attempts something particularly egregious through executive order, as happened with the immigration order that sparked such outrage and airport demonstrations.

“A great example is the mobilization around Republican attempts to repeal the ACA last year. Indivisible organized phone banks, call scripts and rallies (in coordination with other grassroots groups like MoveOn and ADAPT) so that the legislation was at the forefront, and people understood just how repeal would affect them, their families and their communities. There are now Indivisible groups in every single Congressional district, sometimes multiple groups, as in our area. I believe the latest count is about 5800 Indivisible groups nationwide.”

The goal of Indivisible in “in a nutshell: resist the Trump agenda by pressuring our elected officials. And these days, too, helping good candidates get elected so we can win back the U.S. House and the PA State House.”

Andrea Koplove, Brown’s fellow steering committee member and leader of their “Red to Blue” group, explained that "in March of 2017, our group became involved in a project started by our State Senator, Art Haywood, called Turn PA Blue. The goal of Turn PA Blue was to channel grassroots energy toward winning state legislative races in the suburbs of Philadelphia. We have worked closely with Turn PA Blue to support several candidates in neighboring counties. We have a calendar for how folks can get involved, and we have seen weeks in which 15 of our members are out canvassing, 30 folks are writing postcards, others are registering voters, and another few are hosting a fundraiser. These actions will continue throughout the summer and intensify in the fall."

Does the anti-Trump feeling in Northwest Philly mean it is necessarily easy to recruit people to become activists? “Our community has an abundance of folks who are so very willing to do the hard work of canvassing, phone calls and fundraising,” replied Brown. “I think our community in the Northwest is pretty unusual: We have a deep pool of talent among activists who have fought a lot of the major fights of the last 60 years over civil rights, immigration and a woman's right to choose. I feel like they're the superheroes among us:

“Perhaps they assumed they'd retire peacefully, but the dire situation today has brought them back to the barricades. It's inspiring to every one of our members, newbie activists and veterans alike. On any given day you will find our members canvassing in the suburbs, writing out postcards at the High Point Cafe and helping out with fundraisers, so I would say our community is pretty mobilized.”

It is no secret that our community is hardly like much of the rest of the country. In fact, there are millions of Trump supporters who would regard most of us as liberal feather-brained do-gooders on issues like guns, the environment, immigration, race, etc. Is it even possible to win some of those people over?

“I think you would be surprised to find that there is a range of people who may have voted for Trump but believe gun ownership should be regulated, refugee families should not be separated, and global warming is real,” replied Mindy.

To get involved, you can contact IndivisibleNWPhilly@gmail.com or message them on their Facebook page: @Indivisible: NW Philly. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com