Global Exchange

Join us this month at free community events in the state of Georgia! This is more than a speaking tour. It’s an URGENT national effort to build practical, nonpartisan strategies for protecting democratic participation, community safety, and collective action in everyday life.

The Democracy Defenders Roadshow concluded its East Coast tour on Sunday with a powerful public forum at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, bringing together approximately 150 attendees for a conversation on the global challenges facing democracy.

The Democracy Defenders Roadshow stopped at Fairleigh Dickinson University yesterday. Hosted by the Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County, the event brought together students and democracy advocates for a meaningful conversation on democracy, civic participation, and global solidarity.

From defending Indigenous rights and advancing social justice to building stronger, engaged communities, participants explored how ordinary people can create extraordinary change. A huge thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make this event a meaningful space for connection across borders.

This week the Democracy Defenders Roadshow stopped in Union, New Jersey, bringing together 60+ young people for an inspiring conversation about what it means to be an active citizen in a democracy.

Hosted by the Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County in partnership with Groundwork Elizabeth, the workshop connected participants with advocates from Guatemala, Mexico, and Colombia, who shared powerful stories about justice, human rights, and building stronger communities.

The Democracy Defenders Roadshow officially kicked off its East Coast tour this week in Philadelphia, bringing together more than 100 community members for an evening of dialogue, connection, and shared learning.

Hosted by the Philadelphia Ethical Society, the event featured Democracy Defenders who explored how communities across the Americas are confronting threats to democracy, human rights, and concentrated political and economic power.

For decades, we’ve worked alongside human rights defenders, grassroots organizers, and democracy movements throughout Latin America. Now those defenders, like Alberto Solís Castro, are coming to communities across the United States to share their lessons.

Louisville showed what democracy looks like in action. 🤝 Our Democracy Defenders Roadshow made its way to the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, where organizers, advocates, artists, and community leaders came together for a powerful day of dialogue, learning, and action.

The day closed with a call to action from the Louisville Urban League to build long-term civic power through PowerShift ‘26—mobilizing new voters, strengthening community organizations, and reminding us that the work of democracy doesn’t end on Election Day.

Louisville showed what democracy looks like in action. 🤝 Our Democracy Defenders Roadshow made its way to the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, where organizers, advocates, artists, and community leaders came together for a powerful day of dialogue, learning, and action.

Hosted by Shameka Parrish-Wright and VOCAL-KY, in partnership with the Louisville Urban League, Athiri Holistic Organizing School, and ABLE, the event centered on a simple but powerful idea: democracy is built through trust, participation, and community.

We’re talking with folks across the U.S. about what Democracy means, and what’s at stake.

The Democracy Defenders Roadshow continued in Kalamazoo yesterday, bringing together more than 150 community members for an evening of dialogue, solidarity, and action at Across Borders: Communities Against Gun Violence and Voter Suppression.

Hosted by ISAAC, the gathering united faith leaders, community organizers, elected officials, and international advocates to examine the shared threats facing democracies—from gun violence and voter suppression to authoritarianism and political violence.

Join us for the Democracy Defenders Roadshow to hear from international democracy defenders like Mynor Alonzo — and learn what it takes to protect participation, dignity, and peaceful civic life under pressure. Coming soon to a city near you.

This week our Democracy Defenders had an inspiring conversation with Robin Rue Simmons and Kamm Howard, about the different approaches First Repair is using to advancing reparations for Black and Indigenous communities across the Americas.

A special thank you to Robin Rue Simmons—former 5th Ward alderperson in Evanston, IL, who led the US' first gov-funded reparations legislation and now leads First Repair—and to Kamm Howard, a Chicago-based leader in the US and global reparations movements for Afro-descendants.

This week our Democracy Defenders had an inspiring conversation with Robin Rue Simmons and Kamm Howard, about the different approaches First Repair is using to advancing reparations for Black and Indigenous communities across the Americas.

This is bigger than one event, it’s the beginning of a global movement. The Democracy Defenders Roadshow launched Thursday in St. Paul to a standing-room-only crowd, bringing together frontline voices from Latin America with Minnesotans who know what it means to resist attacks on their communities.

The audience included many who had been active in the resistance to Operation Metro Surge, and their presence gave the gathering added weight. Among those in attendance were members of Disabled in Action Minnesota and others from the disability rights movement.

We’re building a global movement to fight back against authoritarianism. 🤝 Thanks to all our guests from the Twin Cities who joined us today for the launch of the Democracy Defenders Roadshow in St. Paul, Minnesota. Next, the Roadshow continues with stops in more than a dozen cities across the US.

It's time to take our resistance global! Democracy defenders like Elena Gutierrez are coming to the U.S. to share critical lessons from the frontlines. Join a Democracy Defenders Roadshow stop near you this summer.