Meeting the Moment: Civil Society’s Role in Defending Democracy

We don’t choose the moment. The moment chooses us.

That line has been sitting with me since attending The First 100 Days: Can Civil Society Defend Democracy? at New America. The whole day was full of sharp analysis and tough truths, but the closing panel with Dorian Warren (Community Change), Joe Goldman (Democracy Fund), and Skye Perryman (Democracy Forward) delivered something else too: clarity, urgency, and a dose of grounded hope.

November was a tipping point. Would we slow democratic backsliding or accelerate it? That question still lingers. This is the moment we’ve been handed. The only real question now is: how will we meet it?

Fighting Authoritarianism Requires a New Playbook
One of the most resonant frameworks came from Dorian Warren: we aren’t living in a single political reality, we’re navigating three overlapping “earths.” Each demands a different response:

Earth 1: Liberal Democracy – Write letters. Organize. Protest. Vote.
Earth 2: Authoritarian Creep – Civil Resistance. Noncompliance. Disobedience.
Earth 3: What Comes Next – Strategic migration. Adaptation. Long-haul survival. 

We’re living in all three at once. Some people are just tuning in (and that’s good). Others have been doing this work for decades. Many are shifting between terrains, responding from where they are. Most people are still equipped for Earth 1. But to meet this moment, we need to prepare ourselves, and others, for Earths 2 and 3, too. Because Earth 1 isn’t coming back as it was, and maybe it shouldn’t. If we rebuild, let’s build better. 

Philanthropy Must Step Up and Speak Out
Philanthropy is beginning to shift, recognizing that strength lies in collective action, not caution. This moment calls for bolder commitments, not business as usual.

Funders and civil society must stand together, not only to defend what remains, but to imagine and invest in what comes next. That means rejecting scarcity thinking and embracing abundance. It means supporting grantees under attack, using institutional voice, and asking not just how to shore up broken systems, but how to build better ones in their place.

As Joe Goldman put it, “The pro-democracy field can’t just prop up failing systems, we need to reimagine what we're building instead.”

Litigation Is People-Powered
Litigation isn’t just about legal victories. It’s a public defense of democracy itself. Each case sends a broader message: the American people are willing to stand up, in court and in the public square, to protect rights, institutions, and the principle of government by and for the people.

It may feel like everything is being contested in the courts, and it is. Because the courts have become one of the clearest frontlines for defending the rule of law. Lawyers, judges, and advocacy groups are on the clock 24/7, pushing back against an accelerating authoritarian agenda. Each rollback or procedural attack isn’t isolated, it’s part of a larger strategy to hollow out the system. That’s why we can’t let anything slide. We defend every inch or we risk losing the whole.

People Are Ready. Let’s Help Them Plug In.
From racial justice to housing and healthcare, people are stepping up and joining where they feel there is a sense of urgency. Crises create organizing moments, and folks are looking for ways to engage. Some are already moving across all three “earths.” Others are rooted in one, where they feel most effective. That’s okay. What matters is that people are ready to act.

But urgency without support leads to burnout. We need clear on-ramps, tools that meet people where they are, and stories of what’s working. Even small wins build morale. They remind us that change is still possible, even now.

So what do we do with this moment?

We build the bridges, tools, and strategies people need to act.
We meet them where they are and help them stretch beyond it.
We defend every piece of the democratic system, even the messy, imperfect ones, because authoritarianism doesn’t just dismantle institutions; it thrives on our hesitation to protect them.

We don’t need a perfect blueprint. But we do need urgency. Imagination. Coordination.

And as Skye Perryman reminded us: “Courage is contagious. Courage is the new currency.”

It took a minute to regroup, recalibrate, and catch our breath. But I think we’re starting to meet this moment, not perfectly, not all at once, but with more clarity and courage than before.