Brand-new activists are discovering political movements – and each other: ‘You feel the camaraderie’

Organizers are breaking down barriers and creating clever campaigns to welcome people new to protesting

• People in the US: Have you gotten involved in activism or community organizing this year?

One morning in October, Donna DesRuisseaux headed to a local bridge near her home in Goffstown, New Hampshire, armed with a sign that said: Honk for democracy." The 62-year-old business manager was taking part in a new tradition of protesting on various bridges and overpasses throughout the state.

I'm very worried about our democracy, freedom of speech, social security and health insurance," said DesRuisseaux, who attended a No Kings protest in Manchester, New Hampshire, later that day, where she ran into some of her bridge friends". DesRuisseaux had never protested anything prior to 2025, in part because she was a busy working mom. But after discovering the NH Bridge Brigade for Democracy group on Facebook, she knew she had to do something to express her outrage.