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Havdalah #66: Rally, Seminar, and Photos

Havdalah #66: Rally, Seminar, and Photos

29 Tevet, 5786 / January 17, 2026

White Rose RI
January 17, 2026

White text on black backgound that says "We are your bad conscience. We will not leave you peace."

"Havdalah" against a backdrop of sparks in the darkness, with a white rose on either side

Hello all, and welcome to Havdalah #66 —

Well, it’s been nearly a year since Trump took office for the second time. I don’t keep a journal, so I don’t remember exactly what I expected from him at this point last year, but I know it was bad, and he has delivered. In spades.

However.

It has been a year, and people are still rising up in protests, still donating food and money for mutual aid, still doing whatever they can to block ICE from taking in their neighbors in the night. It’s been a long 2025, and I guess it’ll be a long 2026 as well (though I hope daily to wake up to the greatest crab rave of all time) [ed: internet humor, don’t worry about it] but if you can, don’t let the dark and the cold and the despair win. People are fighting back, people are resisting him and his horrible, craven lackeys, and every new piece of protest news I get from Minneapolis fills me with so much admiration. It’s hard, so hard, to keep the faith alive but I will keep it, with bloody nails from holding on so hard. I may be tired, I may be in tears, but that fucker doesn’t get to make me hopeless.

To steal a quote from Twitter (that I originally saw on Tumblr, in a Star Wars gif set):

— (@)

Goodnight, and mind how you go —

Katherine (she / her)

PS: We’d like to hear from you! Let us know how we’re doing!

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PSL Stop ICE Terror Rally and March

When: Tuesday, January 20, 4:00pm
Where: 195 District Park, Providence RI 02903
January 20th marks one year of the second Trump Administration. Trump has made it his mission to wage war on working people at home and abroad – threatening our access to food and healthcare, terrorizing immigrant communities, and using our tax dollars to bomb 7 countries in 2025 alone.
In the first week of 2026, Trump’s administration bombed Caracas, kidnapped Venezuela’s president, and oversaw ICE’s murder of Renee Nicole Good.
We must fight back against these attacks! That’s why PSL is hitting the streets nationwide on the anniversary of Trump’s second inauguration. Join the movement to say no ICE, no kings, no kidnappers!
Stop ICE Terror Rally Instagram Page

ACLU Rights Explainers

When: Up now
Where: Online
The ACLU released two updated versions of their explainers about your rights when interacting with immigration agents (ICE) or the police. They have them available in 10 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Cape Verdean, Haitian Creole, French, Swahili, Dari, Pashto, and Khmer.
Read and save this material – regardless of your own immigration status – and send to friends and family! Click the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page to download PDFs that you can print, plus the ACLU posted on all their social media platforms (@riaclu) if you want to save and share online.
If you have a specific way to distribute larger numbers of the paper copies, please email the RI ACLU at [email protected] or call them at 401-831-7171. They have a limited supply printed, but will provide as many as they are able.
ACLU Rights Explainers

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The People’s Forum: Hidden Histories of Rebellion in the United States Seminar Series

When: Tuesdays, January 27-March 17, 6:30pm-8:30pm
Where: Online (recordings will be made available) and The People’s Forum, 320 West 37st Street, New York, NY 10018
PSL is inviting people to join them in taking Hidden Histories of Rebellion in the United States, an 8-week seminar series hosted by The People's Forum. This critical series will run from January 27 to March 17, meeting once a week every Tuesday.
What stories will this series tell?
- The Battle for History: Why Trump wants to Erase the Past
- Fire in the Fields: Black-Indigenous Alliance Against Slavery
- When Texas Enslaved and Mexico Liberated: The Southbound Underground Railroad
- Stop the Trains, Shake the Nation: The Railroad Strike of 1877
- Rural Revolt Against War: The Green Corn Rebellion (1917)
- The Army That Turned on the War: GI Resistance in Vietnam
- Organizing on the Inside: Women's Prison Rebellions 1974-2011
- The Fight Continues: Uprisings of Our Time
WHAT IS THIS SERIES? Weekly seminars featuring discussion, historical study, and collective learning. A chance to connect with others, explore hidden histories, debate their meaning, and understand how these stories empower our organizing today.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE? This series is open to everyone from all backgrounds, experiences, and locations! Whether you are new to studying history or are already engaged in movement work, you are encouraged to sign up and bring your friends, coworkers, and family to study.
Don’t worry if you can’t make the time, if you register you will receive all recordings and materials!
People’s Forum Seminar registration page

"Mutual Aid" on a grey-white gradient, flanked on each side by a loop of interlocking hands, with a white rose on either side

Ahlquist Family Fundraiser

Taken from their fundraising page:

As you may have noticed, this newsletter uses quite a lot of reporting from Steve Ahlquist [ed: our beloved] and his Substack. Sadly, a few weeks ago, his wife, Kathy, passed away. She was an absolutely incredible and loving human, and her very being was an inspiration to everyone she knew. She will be incredibly missed.

With Kathy’s passing, the daycare that she operated out of her home has closed. The daycare was a main source of income for their family and with its absence comes financial obstacles moving forward.

If you know Ayla (Steve and Kathy’s daughter) and Steve, you know how much time and energy they put towards making sure folks feel loved, cared for, and supported. The entire Ahlquist family lives by these values, and this is one of the many reasons why they’re such an inspirational and beloved group of people.

A GoFundMe has been created for their daughter and their family, and any donation is greatly appreciated to help the Ahlquists cover some costs during this difficult time.

Thank you!

Ahlquist Family GoFundMe Page