In this Newsletter

• Chair’s Message
• Upcoming Events
  
• ICYMI
  
• Volunteer Opportunities
• DAGR News and Views
• On our RaDAr - DA Priorities

Friends,
If there ever was a moment to take a stand, this is surely it. The images of masked federal agents gunning down U.S. citizens exercising their First Amendment rights is a stain that will last forever. Not just in America, but around the world.

The murders of Alex Pretti and Renee Good on the streets of Minneapolis last month mark a turning point. It was the moment that the brutal, vindictive, anti-democratic ways of the Trump Administration were laid bare for everyone to see with their own eyes. And everyone did see it.

This is not the America we want. And, according to the latest public opinion polls, that view is shared by six out of 10 Americans, including a rapidly growing number of Republicans. Overall, just 37% of Americans approve of President Donald Trump – a new low.

Many folks have asked me these past few weeks: what can I do? The most important thing, of course, is to register and vote. But there is also pushback against ICE specifically: in Congress, on the streets of America, and even here in Greece.

What can you do? One thing is to reach out to your Senators and Representatives and tell them to stop funding ICE until deep seated reforms are adopted. Another thing is to withdraw your financial support from the two dozen private sector companies that currently enable ICE operations. A third thing is to join one of the Sunday evening vigils in Athens and Thessaloniki for the victims of ICE.

What you do is up to you. But this month’s members’ challenge is: do one small thing to push back against ICE.

And mark your calendars. In February, we’ll be hosting our regular Happy Hours, our DAGR Annual General Meeting, and our Saturday Morning Coffee in Thessaloniki. Look for details below in the newsletter and also on our website, Facebook and Instagram pages.

Come join us! And thank you for staying engaged.

Alkman Granitsas
Chair, Democrats Abroad Greece

Wednesday, FEB 04 - 18:00 EET
What's Happening with Social Security: A Talk with Gov. Martin O'Malley
Governor Martin O’Malley, former Social Security Commissioner under Joe Biden, will offer insights on key trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the program’s future. Sponsored by the DA Global Senior Caucus, this session provides a clear overview of how Social Security impacts individuals, families, and communities. RSVP for the Zoom link.

Tuesday, FEB 10 - 18:00 - 21:00 EET
Happy Hour in Athens
Athens Happy Hour is set for its fav retreat, En Aithria in Monastiraki. We start at 6, so those working downtown can stop by before heading home. So, drop on by. And see what's shaping up for the months ahead. And don't hesitate to bring a friend. Details on DAGR Events Page.

Tuesday, FEB 10 - 19:00-21:00 EET 
Happy Hour in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki friends, old and new, will be meeting at our beloved happy hour venue: Cafe Bazaar. If you’re in the mood to talk out the events of recent weeks, get help with registering to vote if needed, or just learn what’s coming up in weeks ahead, join us to raise a glass to better times. Details on DAGR Events Page.

Tuesday, FEB 17 - 19:00 EET  
2026 Democrats Abroad Greece Annual General Meeting
This year’s AGM will take place in-person at Vryssaki in Athens and online as a hybrid meeting for members outside Athens … or otherwise staying in from the cold. The program includes the annual Treasurer’s report for approval as well as updates on the year’s activities by the Chair and committee chairs. More details and RSVP on the DAGR Events Page.

Thursday, FEB 19 - 17:00 EET
EV Myth-Busting: Cutting Through the Noise of Misinformation
Solar Media UK is sharing expert info on how to encourage EV adoption. Cutting away the misinformation re cost, convenience, and more. RSVP to attend online or get slides and recording afterwards.

Tuesday, FEB 24 - 18:00 EET
DA Global Black Caucus Perspectives
As part of their ongoing collaborations with DA caucuses, DA Global Women’s Caucus is amplifying the issues and policy priorities that matter most to Black Americans and Black Democrats Abroad — from voting rights and representation to justice, equity, and civic engagement. To be streamed on Facebook Live.

Saturday, FEB 28 - 11:00 EET
Saturday Coffee in Thessaloniki
If you’re looking for an excuse to break out of winter hibernation, this event is for you. Let’s gather for a warm cup of anything, and discuss what actions we can all take to make sure 2026 is our most successful election year ever! Venue: Zarchakos Cafe Bar, Parko Xanthi.

And that’s not all …
See what other country committees and global caucuses are doing, on the DA website Events page.

Archbishop Iakovos: “Why I Supported Martin Luther King in Selma”
Archbishop Iakovos was a staunch advocate for civil and human rights, among the first influential figures to embrace Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision, marching alongside him in Selma, Alabama, in 1965. This 2026 Greek Reporter article looks back at the legacy.

DA Global Virtual Event: A Blue Ballot Affair!
Kicking off the Dems Abroad registration drive, this web event had some fun, a few games, and an impressive array of inspiring panelists. A real marathon, it lasted five hours. Drop in for your points of interest.

How Can We Fix America’s Corruption Problem?
Brennan Center for Justice, NYU, hosted a conversation with Democratic pollster Celinda Lake, on the problem, and Dan Weiner of the Brennan Center, on what we can do about it. Timely, it addressed how we “combat bad with nothing,” that is, the need for clear-headed cleansing of the Dem party’s grifters and the system that allows them to continue in office.

How Trump 2.0 is Remaking America, State by State
The New York Times has an in-depth article on every state. Most of Trump’s sharpie-slashes have cut funds, hobbled local economies, closed health centers or terrorized residents. But there are a handful where the benevolence of the leader stand out for their uniqueness. Skim over the index and photos. Click on any state for its full story.



If every American did 3 of these 5 things, ICE would be stopped in its tracks.
Adapted from Leona Waller substack. (Updated 1/24/26)

1. Call your Congress person and/or Senators (cost: 2-5 min)
If you missed DA’s Freeze Out ICE Funding action last week, there will be others!
Sign up for Take Action alerts from Dems Abroad for the high-priority actions.
You can call and email more than once if needed! 
Lawmakers may need to be reminded that the people’s ability to cost them their seat at the table is greater than Trump’s.
Also, Share Your Story. These will go to be read ‘into the record’.

2. Donate to legal funds that are supporting immigrants and ICE detainees (cost: whatever $ you can spare each month)
There are still lawyers and judges who aren’t in Trump’s pocket. Let’s make sure they’re well-funded enough to bury this administration in paperwork for at least the next three years.
Considering that Netflix costs at least $15/month, it seems like a small price to pay for maintaining our democracy.
Here are some options:

• National Immigrant Justice Center
• Immigrant Defense Project
• Impact Fund (Immigrant Rights Portfolio)
• Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee

3. Divest from the companies that support ICE (cost: first-world convenience and comforts)
Publicly traded companies only have one god: profit. If numbers are going down, shareholders will buck and the board will make changes to reverse that trend.
According to Ice Out of My Wallet and the Save America Movement, these are the brands we should be boycotting:

• Home Depot - Allows ICE to patrol stores and parking lots without warrants.
• Target - Sets a standard for corporations going along with the right-wing playbook.
• Hilton Hotels - House ICE agents and punish their branches that don’t.
• Amazon - Web services (AWS) are the digital backbone of ICE’s machinery.
• Whole Foods - They’re part of Amazon so they’re dead to us.

There are more, but it’s easier to go all in on a few boycotts.

Numbers 4 and 5 are geared for stateside folks.

4. Prepare for ICE coming to your neighborhood (cost: 2-6 hours)
5. Do a lit drop (cost: $10-20 and 1-2 hours) i.e. print out and pass out info.

But we can share them with stateside friends and family. The full substack article is found here. 

Ok, now go do it.

Book Review: Erasure by Percival Everett
Thessaloniki writers weigh in. In this first of two reviews of Percival Everett novels, Erasure, Linda Manney delves into language as it supports Everett’s chronicle of a Black academic who’s beset by complaints that his work is ‘not Black enough.’ You’ll want to read the book! Next month, Peter Baiter takes on Everett’s 2025 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, James.

Black History Told Through America’s Public Lands
This article is two years old, so you may not find as many National Park Service attendants to help guide you. But the sites are still ours (for the time being, not sold off cheap) and they tell a part of US history that’s been neglected. Sierra Club suggests you check out these monuments, parks, and sites on your next outdoor adventure.

Music to ‘Take a Stand’ By
Sixty odd years ago, civil rights marchers borrowed an old labor song, adding a new stanza or two to fit. This year, it’s back to the barricades, updating again for everyone who’s been diminished and left behind the American promise. Pick a side! Protest! Vote! 

Best you watch the video while listening to this one!

February is Black History Month … whether Trump likes it or not

The Nazi Slogans Are Not an Accident
‘How many Americans actually want a race war?’ asks Jonathan V. Last, referring to statistical reports, demographics and work by Judd Legum. It’s a telling picture of racial ‘advantage’ in the US, and it isn’t what Trump and his ilk like to claim.

This Equity Shit is a Total bummer, Dude! The Architecture of Grievance
How white grievance turned “equal playing field” into an emergency, and why the dumbass economy depends on it. In his “A Thinking Class” substack, Kristoffer Ealy, professor and advocate, deconstructs the White replacement fear behind the anti-woke, anti-DEI movement.

Is Trump Right About Chicago? We Went To The Most Dangerous Parts To Find Out
Trump has long targeted Chicago, calling it the "most dangerous city in the world." But homicides were down 30% last year, even as Trump cut crime prevention grants. What's making crime fall? Investments in community-led violence prevention programs. More Perfect Union video. 24 mins. Jan 15, 2026

Field Notes for Cracking an Empire
Aka: How to stay alive when the fight arrives at your door. Jackie Summers substack carried this excellent advice on the heels of the Alex Pretti murder. It covers all levels of involvement from child care for protesters to putting self on the front lines. These are lessons straight out of the civil rights struggles of the ‘60s, i.e. they work.

As for the State of the Union

Dems Abroad Launches on Substack
DA now has 11 global ‘accounts’ so we can find our global news, events and ‘statements’ at the site we most like to visit. And now DA’s on Substack. The full panoply of news and actions from global and our country committees around the world is found on the website. Democrats Abroad is constrained from commenting on specific US foreign policy, particularly as public statements may inadvertently affect the security of DA members in some host countries. However, US law and rights are fair game. Check these recent policy statements:
DA: The Rule of Law
DA: Statement on Defending U.S. Alliances
DA: Abolish ICE Now! Statement on Abolishing ICE
DA: Athletes Over ICE! Statement on 2026 Winter Olympics

Could This Be What the End of a Would-Be Dictatorship Looks Like?
The masks are off, the excuses are gone, and the regime is testing how much terror the public will tolerate. What happens when the public finally refuses to be afraid? Thom Hartmann suggests January 2026 might be such a turning point for America.

Oppositional Federalism
Christopher Armitage follows up with a booklet on how to implement the changes Hartmann sees as building momentum. Clearly written, based on constitutional principles already part of our system, the processes described here might just work.

Get Money Out of Politics: End Citizens United!
American Promise has one issue: Amend the US Constitution to limit money in politics, essentially overturning Citizens United and earlier decisions that led to it. Instead, let the people in the states decide. This is NOT a call for a Convention, but rather for an Amendment. Discussion with Heather Cox Richardson here.

As we head into the rest of the year, Black History Month reminds us that the struggle for rights is long and often dangerous. Yet, we see Americans in the streets and friends around the world rising in support. Framing the goal, and the sure knowledge that it will be met, Lift Every Voice and Sing! 

https://www.democratsabroad.org/