Friday, July 24, 2026

This week’s newsletter includes:

• Recap of Good Trouble Lives On!

• Vigil for Victims of ICE Violence

• How to Respond Quickly When ICE Comes to Town

• What you need to know about the August 4th Primary

• CALLS TO ACTION - This Week

• August Community Gathering

Recap from Good Trouble Lives On!

Our second annual march against voter suppression was a success for many reasons. It brought attention to the voting rights that millions of Americans would lose with the passing of the SAVE Act. This message was communicated this message across Central Virginia with coverage from WSET and WDBJ7. And a dozen tabling organizations came together that day under one common goal:

Educate the American people on how much their vote matters and mobilize them to raise their voices at the ballot box

Our keynote speaker Desmond Mosby delivered his opening remarks as it started to rain. But he persisted! And by the time we started our march, the wind had quieted and the rain had dissipitated. It was symbolic of the movement for civil rights that we honor, and the movement against authoritarianism that we continue.

Tom Perriello joined us on the march, too. He had the privilege of serving with John Lewis from 2009 to 2011, and delivered these remarks:

“I asked [John Lewis] what it meant for him to still be marching.

“And he said, ‘The question is not when you wake up in the morning whether you’re going to march. … The only question is what form the march is going to take that day. Some day marching means registering people to vote. Some day marching means putting together a boycott. Some days marching is taking a beating as you cross the Edmund Pettis Bridge, or the bridge in Danville.’

“But what he understood is that every day we get the blessing to wake up in the morning and ask, ‘How are we going to march today?’”

We would also like to personally thank the following people for their unique contributions to Good Trouble!

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On Wednesday evening’s national Zoom call Good Trouble Celebration + What’s Next!, our very own Jen Staton (Indivisible LYH) and Desmond Mosby (Lynchburg Voters League) were invited to speak on coalition-building in the Lynchburg area.

Our chapter’s feature on this call demonstrated that when progressives take action in the ‘Buckle of the Bible Belt’, Americans take notice. If our movement against authoritarianism can grow here, then it can happen anywhere!

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Professional photographer Becky Lambert was kind enough to share with us highlights from the march. You can view her album HERE.

To view more footage from our events, please join our Facebook group (if you haven’t already) and/or follow us on our socials (Instagram, BlueSky, and TikTok).

Vigil for Victims of ICE Violence

At least 54 people have died in ICE custody since Donald Trump returned to office. This comes as a direct result of an overfunded agency with undertrained personnel in the field. ICE agents target immigrants with minor infractions in order to satisfy quotas set forth by the Department of Homeland Security. Private prison companies like CoreCivic and GEO Group reap greater profits by holding more detainees and withholding essential services. And scapegoating vulnerable immigrant communities serves to distract the American people from the widespread illegal activities of the Trump administration.

Indivisible has called for a National Day of Action to support local immigrant communities, to comfort those who have lost friends and family to ICE violence, and to demand that employees of ICE and the greater DHS umbrella be held accountable for breaking the law.

The National Day of Action is set for this Saturday, July 25th. Our local chapter, however, will be holding our vigil on Tuesday evening instead.

Join us at Monument Terrace this Tuesday, July 28th at 7 PM to honor Johan Sebastian Guerrero, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Keith Porter, Jr., Alex Pretti, Renee Good, and every other life that was extinguished through violent ICE-related activities.

Participants are encouraged to bring:

• A bell for the ringing of bells in memory of victims

• An item for the memorial table, such as flowers, candles, written prayers, messages, photos, or other meaningful tributes.

• Signs

Federal agents that abuse their authority must be held accountable!

How to Respond Quickly When ICE Comes to Town

When an ICE surge hits and there is no clarity on what to do, responses stall and the window to act closes fast. This call trains you on the components of a rapid response: the coordinated set of actions your community takes in real time when ICE is active, and what it looks like to show up with a plan.

We are proud of our members who have already been able to observe, record, and alert local immigrant-owned businesses when ICE arrests have taken place. The method works, but you need to know what to do in advance.

The more Lynchburg residents are trained on rapid response, the stronger our immigrant support network will become. Everyone has a role within this plan. Find out what yours is TODAY by registering HERE.

What YOU need to know about the August 4th Primary

The League of Women Voters (LWV) declared last year that our country is in a constitutional crisis. They seek to make voters of the Greater Lynchburg area fully aware of their options for the Virginia Primary Election on Tuesday, August 4th and the Virginia General Election on Tuesday, November 3rd. Following the primary, we’ll share their general election flyer. Both flyers will be available at all LWV education events.

CALLS TO ACTION - This Week

Canvas with Lynchburg Better Together!

Urge Congress to Vote NO on the CLARITY Act

Cryptocurrency is a Ponzi scheme that Donald Trump has used to enrich himself and his family while allowing private interest direct access to the Oval Office. Supported by multiple crypto companies, the CLARITY Act will remove investor protections that have remained in place since the Great Depression. It also lacks ethics provisions that would further enable the corruption of the Trump administration.

Since lawmakers are under pressure to move the bill before the August recess, THIS IS A TIME-SENSITIVE MATTER.

The most effective way to ensure that Senators Warner and Kaine hear their constituents concerns is to CALL THEIR OFFICES directly. It may come to a vote this upcoming week.

To access a call script and their office phone numbers, you can click HERE or use the 5Calls app. Both options are simple and effective!

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You can also watch McKenzie's talk about cryptocurrency on the What's The Plan YouTube channel. They have also produced a documentary, Everyone Is Lying To You For Money that will premier in late-Augst.

August Community Gathering

Why does social activism matter in Hill City?

We organize in Lynchburg to reflect the full history of our community, not just of those in control.

We organize in Lynchburg to amplify the voices that Christian Nationalism seeks to stifle.

When we organize in Lynchburg, we demonstrate to America that our community is more than Jerry Falwell and Liberty University.

That is why we are inviting you to our next Community Gathering on Sunday, August 2nd from 4-5 PM. The event location will be sent to everyone who signs up. The gathering agenda will be sent out closer to the date.

Register HERE!

We are making big strides. You have what it takes to help us maintain the momentum. The sum of our collective actions will show in November.

Let’s keep getting into GOOD TROUBLE together.

P.O. Box Coming Soon.