Our Shot: October 9, 2025
Welcome to the 25th edition of Our Shot, a weekly newsletter of actions that anyone (especially kids) can take to resist the Trump administration.
Smaller action: Watch Jane Goodall's final interview in Famous Last Words, an interview she filmed with the understanding that it would only be released after her death. It is full of powerful and inspirational insights and resistance. We loved this quote:
"In the place where I am now, I look back over my life. I look back at the world I’ve left behind. What message do I want to leave? I want to make sure that you all understand that each and every one of you has a role to play. You may not know it, you may not find it, but your life matters, and you are here for a reason. And I just hope that reason will become apparent as you live through your life. I want you to know that, whether or not you find that role that you’re supposed to play, your life does matter, and that every single day you live, you make a difference in the world. And you get to choose the difference that you make."
Larger action: October 5-11 is Banned Books Week - read a book, attend an event, or raise awareness!
Check out this list of ways to fight book bans for ideas, and read this powerful report about the normalization of Book Banning.
Two things help us make sense of the world – information and stories. Both explain, describe, and give language to the world we encounter. It is not a surprise then that banning books is a way of erasing stories, identities, experiences, and peoples and reshaping understandings of the past. Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop warns: “When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part.”
Stories tell us who we are and who we can become.
Highlight: Leo's Shot!
Do you have any ideas for actions people can take? Have you taken an action of resistance that you would like to share? Please email ctsvirsky@gmail.com to let us know - we would love to hear from you!
We are not throwing away our shot!
Leo & Charlotte