It’s safe to say a number of islanders have embraced the idea that “action is the antidote to despair” when it comes to our national political situation.

We are all, no matter our politics, drinking from a fire hose of outside-the-box proposals from the new administration.

For some of us, the action we’re taking is to prepare to resist whatever executive actions, proposals or new laws appear to be immoral, antidemocratic, illegal, or in violation of the Constitution. In fact, there are at least five organizations on the island working to protect our country’s democracy via non-violent and persistent resistance.

One of those groups is part of a nationwide campaign initiated by SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice). It’s called Gear-Up, and SURJ is using the campaign to create “circles” of volunteers prepared to take whatever non-violent action may be necessary to protect our fellow community members and, in the long term, our democracy.

The first action our island’s Gear-Up Circle took was to invite islanders and our government representatives to sign a pledge. You may have seen people at the four-way stop and in Burton on Saturday, February 1. Those were Gear-Up volunteers standing in the cold and wind to get people to sign the following pledge:

“I pledge … to show up to protect the rights, safety and dignity of people in my community and resist Trump’s antidemocratic and immoral agenda consistent with the principles of nonviolence.”

In just two hours that Saturday, Gear-Up volunteers collected nearly 125 signatures from enthusiastic passersby. More people signed the pledge online at act.surj.org/a/pledge. That online option is still open for any others who’d like to sign.

Our King County Council representative, Teresa Mosqueda, signed the pledge and asked what more she could do. Members of the Gear-Up Circle are working with our other government representatives to add their signatures. It’s a simple thing aimed at creating solidarity within our community and throughout the nation among those people who want to maintain their rights as American citizens to have a say in how our country operates.

Our Vashon Gear-Up Circle will continue to collaborate with others around the country, create meaningful actions, and keep our community informed of what each of us can do to make our voices heard in the preservation of our democracy.

Email shmccabe@comcast.net to join the island Gear-Up Circle.

Susan McCabe is a Vashon writer and the radio host of “A Vashon Minute” for Voice of Vashon.