Monday, February 24
Paris, France
Resistance Reading Room
The Resistance is now. Join us twice-monthly in Paris (2nd and 4th Mondays) as we share and discuss relevant texts for our moment in US politics, and what we can do from abroad — with eyes on helping Democrats taking back House and Senate in 2026.
Pick a text you have time for. Readings are suggested, not required. A core text, an article, a piece of short fiction or poetry are selected for each time we meet, and we will meet at least twice per set of readings. Read what you can or just join us, whether you had time to read or not. This is NOT homework, even if Resistance is work — we look forward to seeing you there.
Our 90-minute format will always include discussion of the texts, we will always take a concrete action; and we will always have open discussion on what is happening and what we can do about it. See you there!
Theme: Race, Oppression & Liberation
📖 Core Text: The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin, 1963. Available at Scribd. If purchasing the book, please check out local booksellers Red Wheelbarrow and Shakespeare & Company.
An excerpt:
"This is the crime of which I accuse my country and my countrymen, and for which neither I nor time nor history will ever forgive them, that they have destroyed and are destroying hundreds of thousands of lives and do not know it and do not want to know it. It is not permissible that the authors of devastation should also be innocent. It is the innocence which constitutes the crime. Now, my dear nephew, the time has come for you to strike out for yourself and for your country and to try to change the world. It is your birthright as much as it is mine, and as much as it belongs to every human being. The world is before you and you need not take it or leave it as it was when you came in."
📄 Short Article: "Letter to My Son," Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic, excerpted from Between the World and Me, July 4, 2015. Available at The Atlantic. If purchasing the book, please check out local booksellers Red Wheelbarrow and Shakespeare & Company.
📜 Short Fiction/Poetry: "Let America Be America Again," Langston Hughes, 1936. Available at poets.org
🎥 Video: James Baldwin debates William F. Buckley on racism, Cambridge Union, 1965. Available on Youtube
TAKE ACTION NOW
1. STOP THE SAVE ACT. Call your US Congressperson and ask them to vote NO on the SAVE Act. The so-called SAVE Act is a direct attack on voting rights—if passed, it could end voting from abroad. This bill would not only require "proof of citizenship" ID that millions of Americans don’t have, but it would force in-person (in state!) voter registration—an impossible barrier for most overseas voters. Read more about it, here. Call the Capitol Switchboard number: +1 (202) 224-3121 or find your House Rep direct info here: https://www.house.gov/representatives.
2. SAVE THIS NUMBER to call the Capitol Switchboard for free, from France. +33 7 55 53 64 46. A service brought to you by DA France.
3. Sign up for regular TAKE ACTION email alerts from Democrats Abroad here: https://www.democratsabroad.org/take_action
This event is free and open to DA members. New members always welcome. To join Democrats Abroad go here: www.democratsabroad.org/join (Membership is free and open to US citizens 18 years of age or older and living abroad.)
Not based in Paris Centre, but interested in hosting a Reading Room near you? Please get in touch with Ada [email protected] for details
WHEN
Monday, February 24, 2025 at 06:00 PM Paris Time
WHERE
Treize au Jardin
5 rue de Médicis
Paris 75006
France
Google map and directions
CONTACT
Ada Shen
[email protected]