2 weeks after the 2016 election, I attended my first Rootscamp as a heartbroken campaign staffer looking for answers, community, and purpose in my next steps. My experience at Rootscamp helped transform me into someone eager to stay engaged in elections, while pushing me to connect more deeply to community beyond the electoral work.
(Special shoutout to Arianna Trujillo-John convening a session here, who was the one that invited me to this space)
Skip 8 bars to today, and it really does feel like we’re in another loop. Once again, Donald Trump is our President, and all the bad things are happening. But I am also older, wiser(ish?), more grounded in community spaces, and still itching for a fight. That’s why it was immensely satisfying to participate this time as a Rootscamp organizer where I did my best to foster the type of space given to me all those years ago.
I was particularly excited to see that one of our breakout sessions has evolved into a permanent organizing chat focused on inspiring bravery among our federal workers to resist the illegal takeover of the bureaucracy by Elon Musk’s DOGE - while intentionally building more durable roots to inspire courage and action among our communities to match this moment.
A fellow organizer has written the following summary of our direct action this Friday. With the support of GAIN Power, we are excited to see the momentum from our conference directly inspire the type of courage and initiative to do good things. Stay tuned for more about Rootscamp as we prepare for next steps after our conference, but for now - we’d like to highlight the urgent work of this organic action led by everyday people that mirrors the power of love and resistance occurring all across the DC area and the country.
Forever in gratitude and solidarity,
Tim Phan
Not Game Over Yet – Join Federal Workers as they Tell Musk to Fork Off
This Friday, it is Federal workers against DOGE at the Health and Human Services Building at 8:00 am at 200 Independence Ave SW. Please join us!
We will be there Friday morning because DOGE is heading to Health and Human Services (HHS) next. HHS is where public servants administer Medicaid and Medicare for over 130 million Americans, process 800 million Social Security payments a year, oversee our food and drug safety through the FDA, guard against future pandemics through the Center for Disease Control, and in general safeguard the public health of our country.
Our public servants have been holding the fragile threads of our country together despite being told their new bosses want to see them “traumatized” and having their workplaces violently shaken. They were sent an ominous “Fork in the Road” email from the muskrat team telling them to resign or to get ready for a miserable workplace and mass firings. Yet only 1% have taken the bait so far and resigned. 99% are holding firm for the rest of us. It is time to go thank them and flank them.
We heard all this directly at Rootscamp where a civil servant in attendance stood up and told us how critical, lifesaving services were grinding to a halt. He recognized that the federal systems that are supposed to take care of us are only as strong as our social movements make them. He also shared that when Trump and Musk feel they have the permission to tear it all down, we need to give federal employees the permission and support to stop these bulldozers in their tracks. At that moment, we all committed to Federal Workers Against Doge.
Our public servants are the frontline, and they need to know that we appreciate and need them standing firm. They need to know we see them and support them. We need to send this Administration a message that we will not have our civil service destroyed, our services taken, and power and resources handed over to a tech billionaire leaving working people with nothing.
It is difficult to lead with an open heart in such cynical times, but our public servants have shown us how. Come this Valentine’s Day to surround HHS with the love they deserve for the heart they have shown.
Digital Toolkit for anyone who wants to support online : bit.ly/fedsagainstdoge