Waking the Giant —
Northwoods Solidarity Revival

Join us!

When:

October 4, All day (10:00am–8:30pm)

Where:

Mesaba Coop Park

Waking the Giant is a family-friendly, free community gathering created by and for grassroots organizers, artists, elders, activists, and caring Northwoods neighbors of all kinds! We’ll be meeting at Mesaba Coop Park all day and into the evening, sharing stories, food, music, culture, and resources for learning more and taking action in our communities.

Our hope is that by taking some time to revive our spirits and spark new relationships, we will also be encouraged to stay engaged and to stand in solidarity even when we feel discouraged, and to prepare to care for our places and our neighbors for the long haul.

A gentle reminder that this is a free gathering, open to all, but we do need to know how many people to expect — so please use the form to register! We’ll also be sending important reminders and details to this list. Below are some fresh updates and FAQs about this event! Reach out if you have other questions.

We hope to see you there! RSVP here: ncdn.work/wakingthegiant.html.

Trina Swanson — Let's Fix It Tour

Comes to Biwabik

When:

October 14, 5:30–7:30pm

Where:

Biwabik Pavilon

What's not working in Biwabik and the surrounding communities? Healthcare that costs too much? Jobs that don't pay enough? Housing that's getting harder to find? Every community has its own challenges, and the people who live there know better than anyone where we need to start.

That's why Trina Swanson is bringing the LET'S FIX IT! Tour to Biwabik.

This isn't a rally or a long political speech. It's a chance to sit down, talk with Trina, and tell her what's working, what isn't, and what you want your representative in Congress to understand about life in your community.

Democrat, Republican, Independent or somewhere in between, you're welcome. Trina believes a representative works for everyone, whether you voted for them or not. Her campaign describes the tour's broader approach as focused on listening to people across Minnesota's 8th District and on issues including affordability, healthcare, jobs, and community stability.

Bring a friend. Bring your questions. Bring your ideas about what you think needs fixing.

Trina's complete tour:

• September 16 — Brainerd
• September 22 — Cambridge
• October 5 — Bemidji
• October 7 — Grand Rapids
• October 14 — Biwabik
• October 20 — Washington County

No Kings — Cook

hosted by Democracy Defenders

When:

October 17, 1:00–3:00pm

Where:

Cook City Park
125 S River St.
Cook, MN

Join your neighbors and friends at Cook City Park for an afternoon of inspiration, information, music, and community-making as we make our voices heard and stand up for democracy!

No Kings National Day of Action —
Vote Early

No Kings started with sending a message. Now it's about showing what that power can do.

When:

October 17

Where:

At the ballot box & stay tuned for regional celebrations

This time, the mobilization moves to the ballot box.

In Minnesota, absentee ballots are already available, and the state’s new in-person Early Voting period begins 18 days before Election Day. (sos.mn.gov⁠)

SHOW THE POWER.
ORGANIZE THE POWER.
EXERCISE THE POWER.

Three times in less than a year, millions of Americans took to the streets to say something unmistakable: we are here, we are paying attention, and we will not be silent.

Minnesota became one of the clearest examples of that power on display. We filled the streets in St. Paul. We turned out again across the state. And in March, Minnesota became the national flagship for No Kings.

That was showing power.

Then Minnesota faced a different test.

When Operation Metro Surge brought thousands of federal officers into the Twin Cities, the response moved beyond the streets. Neighbors shared information. Lawyers provided know-your-rights education. Churches, community organizations and others helped people navigate an extraordinary situation. And people who had never worked together before began building networks that could act together.

That was organizing power.

And that distinction matters.

A demonstration can show how many people are willing to act. An organized network can turn that willingness into sustained civic action.

That is the next step for No Kings.

Not away from protest. Not instead of organizing. From showing power to exercising it.

Because elections are one of the places where organized people actually exercise political power. The people elected in November will make decisions about legislation, budgets, oversight and the direction of government.

And No Kings is now explicitly making that connection. The national coalition describes October 17 as a nonpartisan day of voter participation and calls No Kings: Vote Early “the next step” after a year of mass mobilization.

Northwoods Sharing Circle

Free Community Meal & Gathering

When:

October 25, 1:00–3:00pm

Where:

Cook Community Center
Cook, MN

Who:

Everyone — families welcome!

What:

Free taco bar & sharing circle

We have some exciting news! The Cook Area Neighbors Network (CANN) will be hosting the Northwoods Sharing Circle, a free community gathering on Sunday, October 25, with a taco bar lunch for everyone in the greater Cook area. Whether you've lived here for decades or recently moved to the area, whatever your background, you're welcome at the table.

Registration is requested but not required. Attendees are asked to email cookareaneighborsnetwork@gmail.com to ensure we have enough food for everyone.

Come for the food, stay for the conversation — we'll be sharing stories about what we love about our community, and starting to map out ways neighbors can support one another, from lending a hand to sharing what we grow and make. No agenda, no pressure — just good food and good company.

Further away — Community Vigil

Oppose ICE Detention

When:

October 11, 2:00pm

Where:

Civic Center Grounds
Appleton, MN

Free Community Potluck Meal

2nd & 4th Sundays in Hibbing

When:

2nd & 4th Sundays, 12:30–2:30pm

Where:

117 E Howard Street
Hibbing, MN

Bring a dish or just come & enjoy. Open to the public, all are welcome. To-Go Available

Neighbor2Neighbor — Get out the Vote

from Indivisible

This election is all about winning affordability for working people and accountability for a corrupt regime. To win, we need to look beyond partisan politics and reach our communities – which is exactly what Indivisibles have been doing for years.

Our Neighbor2Neighbor program is our tool for having impactful conversations with voters near you. Instead of getting dozens of doors in someone else’s community, Neighbor2Neighbor provides you with 10 neighbors who need to be turned out to vote this year. You’ll get a short list of addresses, a simple script, some best practices, and a printable handout – it’s that easy! There’s no app to download, and you can have these conversations on your own time. Sign up to receive the next ten closest doors when you’re done!

In MN, we are getting Neighbor2Neighbor for the whole state.

National support for Trina Swanson

MN08 is a House Target for the National Organization. What do they get?

• N2N script will have additional information supporting Trina Swanson
• National Phone Bank into MN08, open to all of us to join

How are the Media and Social Media Doing in Informing Voters?

UCLA School of Law — Safeguarding Democracy Project

From a series of talks focusing on: The role of media, law, political norms, and technology in assuring free and fair elections and public acceptance of election results in the U.S.

Democracy Observer Trainings

from MN Voice

When:

Every Tuesday & Sunday, 6:00–8:00pm

Where:

Online

Why take a Democracy Observer training? You will gain:

• Key knowledge about MN elections law and voter protections
• Skills to identify, assess, and report unconstitutional activity related to elections (ex. Voter Intimidation)
• A framework for practicing community care in support of safe elections in your precinct

Hands Off Our Vote Trainings

from Indivisible

Calling all Indivisibles who are ready to demand Hands Off Our Vote! This is the first of two trainings on 2026 election protection: the actions you and those around you can take to ensure every eligible voter can vote, every vote is counted, and the results are honored and the winners seated. This training includes a step-by-step of basic election protection steps that you can scale to how much time and energy you have, as well as a messaging special with Anat Shenker-Osorio and assorted FAQ.

Storytime

As is our habit, my friend Mino and i went to the park today. My friend Marilyn and her pup, Bella, were gone; they left for the season to go back to their lives in the Cities. Perhaps they will return next year, then again, maybe not. While i have looked forward to having the lake and the forest to ourselves, relishing the quiet and peace of autumn, winter, and spring and the return of the animals to that little corner once the humans have left, but today i feel unusually sad. i will miss Marilyn & Bella.

Out in my field, i have a cemetery that holds the remains of my animal family members who have come and gone during my time here. It is marked by a circle of eight cedar poles with ribbons on them; their places have granite markers with their names and dates on them. Spanned across two other posts are cedar planks that are fading and weathered that i had wood-burned the names of all the important people in my life who were ferried across the river in a canoe to claim their star. i quit doing that some years ago, now, because they became too much...there were so many.

As i stood on the fishing pier at that pensive, melancholy part of a grey autumn afternoon, i added to the volume of the lake one tear drop at a time. It feels as if too much has been taken lately. Yet, in my old age, i know that this is the cycle of life and living...that one of the lessons i have had to learn revolves around learning to let go, to breathe through it, to come to an acceptance of what is and what will be, that so many things are beyond my control. When my friend was done skittering her stick of the dock, retrieving it with broad strokes through the water, then beginning the process again, i looked out on the water to see one fisherman in his dingy, then looked about to see the chartreuse and golden leaves with smatterings of red maples against white pines and cedars. The colours pop on days like these. This is a new season, one i hold images of in my mind to get through tougher times. And as we made our way back to the car, leaves that had fallen cracking beneath our feet, i knew that this is how it is, how it supposed to be, that this is real, too, as the phrase of Mother Jones echoed in my cranium...'Pray for the dead (and the missing) and fight like hell for the living.'

Mi'iw
— jester

"I Am a Citizen"

Watch Nikki Giovanni Read Her Poem "Vote" on the Power of the Ballot

from Democracy Now!

"Acclaimed poet and activist Nikki Giovanni has a new collection of poems called 'Make Me Rain,' a celebration of her Black heritage, as well as an exploration of racism and white nationalism. In the poem “Vote,” Giovanni offers her thoughts on the importance of voting. It was filmed by The Meteor, a feminist collective of activists, journalists and creators, part of a daily Instagram series focusing on voting rights."

A Virtual Afternoon with Heather Cox Richardson & Siri Hustvedt

Recording: Writers for Democratic Action presents The Inaugural Gitlin-Auster Defender of Democracy Award to historian Heather Cox Richardson

Writers for Democratic Action (WDA) began in 2020 as a small group of poets, fiction writers, and journalists, and is now comprised of more than 4,000 writers worldwide. WDA is a volunteer organization devoted to literature as a bedrock of democratic culture. At this virtual gathering the group bestowed the first Gitln-Auster Defender of Democracy Award — named after two WDA founding members, Todd Gitlin and Paul Auster.

The first recipient of this award is Heather Cox Richardson, a professor of history at Boston College and an expert on American political and economic history. She is the author of seven books, including Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America and the award-winning How the South Won the Civil War. Her widely read Substack newsletter, Letters from an American, synthesizes history and modern political issues and is read daily by more than a million readers.

Following the award presentation, Richardson was in conversation with the esteemed writer Siri Hustvedt, a WDA founding member. Hustvedt is the author of a book of poetry, five collections of essays, two works of nonfiction, and seven novels.

Her most recent work, Ghost Stories, a searing memoir of love and grief, is centered around the loss of her husband, Paul Auster.

Heather Cox Richardson and Siri Hustvedt are champions of democracy. Their conversation in this virtual event focused on the challenges of the crucial run-up to the Midterm Election on which the fate of democracy hinges. With this gathering, WDA also launched its 2026 Book the Vote Campaign, bringing together readers, writers, booksellers, and librarians to register voters, defend the rights of voters, and resist voter-suppression. Please join us far and wide!

On Election Day

612-255-3112

Election issue triage center

Immigrant Defense Network in collaboration from many state-wide groups will be in hosting a hotline number / response center. They can connect you to assistance for voting rights, translation, information, incident reporting & so much more. If you need to remember one number — this is it.

MN Secretary of State

877-600-8683

Information available in multiple languages

Common Cause Election Protection

866-OUR-VOTE

We will place thousands of volunteers on the ground, and recruit a team of legal experts to staff the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline.

• English: 1-866-OUR-VOTE / 866-687-8683
• Spanish: 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA / 1-888-839-8682
• Arabic: 1-844-YALLA-US / 1-844-925-5287
• Bengali, Cantonese, Hindi, Urdu, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog, Vietnamese): 1-888-API-VOTE / 1-888-274-8683

Vote 411

218-213-5009

League of Women Voters

Election Day Problems? Call or text 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) or 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA (en Español)

DFL Voter Protection Hotline

833-355-8683

Call if election judge is not handling situations to satisfaction.

MN Safe at Home Program

866-723-3035

MN Relay Service: 711

Minnesota’s address confidentiality program