John, we are fully in an authoritarian regime. Naming the threat for what it is must be the first step toward fighting it.

We ushered in authoritarianism using democracy; now it is our responsibility to protect democracy from those who would take it from us.

That’s the uncomfortable truth: authoritarianism today doesn’t arrive through military coups or tanks in the street. It arrives through ballots, by leaders who win democratic elections, and then govern as autocrats. We’ve seen it in Turkey, Hungary, and Russia. We’re seeing it in America. And if democracy can be weaponized to usher in authoritarianism, then democracy must also be the tool we use to defend and reclaim our freedoms. That means voting, yes, but it also means organizing, protesting, holding leaders accountable, and refusing to normalize the erosion of our rights.

Victory is not a cinematic moment. When you’re defending democracy, progress counts as victory. Their goal is your silence—every day we remain free, that is progress.

Defending democracy is daily, often unglamorous work. Every march, every organizing call, every community garden built when the government fails to deliver—these are all acts of defiance. Every time we refuse to be silent, we chip away at authoritarian control. That progress matters because their goal is to exhaust us into silence. Our responsibility is to keep going.

-Stacey Abrams