Firewall for Freedom: ACLU of Oregon's Strategic Priorities

Your ACLU of Oregon is working hard to ensure that our state is prepared to defend our collective progress toward a more just, equitable, and caring democracy. Trump has threatened democracy and the basic rights and freedoms of people across the United States — from voting rights, to abortion and reproductive rights, to racial justice, and so much more.


In Oregon, we have identified our issue area priorities for uplifting humanity and resisting fascism and creating opportunities for Oregonians to engage in principled resistance with us:

Immigrant and refugee rights

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We are defending immigrant and refugee Oregonians through the Oregon for All coalition and by providing Know Your Rights information for ICE actions. Please sign up for volunteer efforts to support immigration and refugee Oregons through our volunteer form.

More resources: 

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS HUB for ICE ACTIONS

Oregon For All Website

Volunteer Form

Personal autonomy, freedom, and equal rights

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We are advancing freedom, equal rights, and nondiscrimination for all Oregonians, regardless of a person’s sex, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation, through the Equal Rights for All campaign. The goal of this campaign is to affirm abortion and reproductive health rights, gender identity and related healthcare rights, and sexual orientation and same-gender marriage rights in the Oregon constitution. Please sign up for volunteer efforts in this area — including training to help gather signatures — through our volunteer form.

More resources: 

Equal Rights for All ballot measure

In Trump Country, Ballot Measures Safeguard Abortion Rights

Volunteer Form

Defending against federal government aggression

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We are working with Oregon lawmakers and organizational partners to defend our state, local governments and schools, and organizations against the Trump administration’s bullying and threats.

Through our work in these three priority areas, the ACLU of Oregon is focused on the strategies of political noncooperation and grassroots mobilization.

The ACLU is uniquely positioned to face this moment with our deep bench of legal, advocacy, and organizing experts, our presence nationwide and our issue-area expertise.

Together we are creating a more just, equitable, and caring democracy in Oregon while providing a blueprint for what can be accomplished elsewhere in the country. ACLU National and some of our affiliate colleagues have publicly unveiled their Firewall for Freedom plans to safeguard our rights.

ACLU National Firewalls for Freedom Initiative


Is this enough? Will we defeat fascism?

History tells us that the answer to this question is up to us.

According to the Global Nonviolent Action Database at Swarthmore College, at least 40 dictators were overthrown by the use of nonviolent strategies dating back to 1920. 

However, history also teaches us thisOccasional actions that simply protest a particular policy or egregious action aren’t enough. They may relieve an individual’s conscience for a moment, but, ultimately, episodic actions, even large ones, don’t assert enough power. Over and over, the Global Nonviolent Action Database shows that positive results come from a series of escalating, connected actions called a campaign.

At the ACLU of Oregon, we have committed significant time and resources so that our team can develop strategic campaigns — instead of one-off actions — to counter fascism.

However, to build the power needed to counter Trump’s fascism, we need you to join with us in the work of nonviolent resistance. Please explore the ways to get involved in our work below.

Thank you for placing your trust in us. Together, we resist.