One person can make a difference, and everyone should try. ~John F. Kennedy
Last week, a woman in a polka dot dress stopped traffic in New York City. Her defiant image went viral.
And reminded me of a man who, on a summer day in 1989, became world famous.
We still don’t know who he is.
In the summer of 1989, pro-democracy protestors occupied Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Students and workers and soldiers and teachers had joined together in peaceful protest, seeking democracy, freedom of the press, and freedom of speech. They were joined by more, and more – and still more people. At its height an estimated one million people occupied the Square – and their efforts inspired the world.
But early on June 4, the Chinese government cracked down on those protests in the most gruesome way, sending in armed military and tanks. The government killed hundreds – some say thousands – of protestors, shooting some in the back as they fled.
It’s with that backdrop that we meet Tank Man.
Just after noon on June 5 – the day after the brutal crackdown had begun – a line of eighteen tanks began snaking down Avenue of Eternal Peace. Lumbering along, the tanks themselves embodied governmental power – impenetrable, unstoppable, able to squash a person like a bug. They continued their parade down the Avenue, toward Tiananmen Square.
Until one lone man stood in their way.
Dressed in a simple white shirt and black pants, holding two shopping bags, he strode into the Avenue and stood directly in front of the lead tank. It stopped. Then it moved right; he countered. Then it moved left; he countered again.
The interaction between the man and the tank lasted only a few minutes. But, as Time Magazine later described it, “[a]lmost certainly he was seen in his moment of self-transcendence by more people than ever laid eyes on Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein and James Joyce combined.”
So I wonder:
What do you think he had for breakfast? Toast? Maybe some fruit?
What do you think he bought that day at the store? Soap? Maybe shampoo. Or perhaps there was a sale on undershirts at the store that he’d pass on his way to work.
See – he was just an everyday, regular person. In fact, one report suggested that he was the son of factory workers – a blue collar guy growing up in a blue collar family in a blue collar neighborhood. And because of censorship restrictions in China, he may not even know about the images of him, or that Time Magazine named him one of the century’s “top revolutionaries”.
But – and this is the really important part – he wasn’t a revolutionary.
He was guy who had just finished his shopping.
And that’s why he’s so inspiring. An everyday citizen’s ability to stand up and say “no more” inspires us, because we are just like him.
Or, at least, we can be.
Last week, a woman in New York City wearing a polka dot dress and pumps proved it.
She stood in the street, blocking ICE humvees – in a pose shockingly similar to Tank Man’s more than 30 years ago – purse slung over her shoulder, and two manicured middle fingers extended.
She was protesting the same machinery of power that Tank Man faced. Different vehicles, different streets, same courage.
The internet erupted.
Sales of polka dot dresses have surged. But, as one commenter said – don’t buy the dress.
Be the woman.
Friend, since 2016 I have been electrified and inspired by the thousands upon thousands of everyday Americans who are doing exactly what Tank Man and Polka Dot lady did: standing in the face of a behemoth government that has the power and intention to bulldoze them.
Without formal training, without experience, without a blueprint to work from, we have stood shoulder to shoulder and pushed back.
Even in – and now especially in – Red America.
New research released from Harvard’s Nonviolent Action Lab shows that protests in 2025 have reached a wider swath of the United States than at any other point on record – and that’s even before the reach of October 18th’s protests have been taken into account.
In June 2025, protests occurred in nearly 38 percent of counties nationwide. But they didn’t just happen in blue cities or blue states.
In fact, from April to August 2025, the median protest county in the US sent more votes to Trump than to Harris.
In other words, the typical protest is now happening in Trump country.
Last week I shared images from people attending #NoKings in Red States, but the Harvard research puts numbers to some of the earlier protests:
In Kingsport, Tennessee on the No Kings Day in June, an estimated 2,000 people (close to 10% of the city’s population) lined almost a mile stretch of Center Street. Trump won the surrounding Sullivan County by 54 percentage points.
In Edmonson County, Kentucky, where over 80% of voters chose Trump, 150 people attended a protest at Mammoth Cave National Park in March 2025 as part of the Resistance Rangers protest against national park worker layoffs. According to Harvard, it was the first protest there during either of Trump’s terms.
In Hardin County, Texas, where over 86% of voters cast ballots for Trump, 25 people protested at Big Thicket National Preserve in the town of Kountze, which has a population of 2,125.
I could go on, and on, and on. (And I encourage you to read the report yourself, because it’s inspiring.)
But my point isn’t to list off protest counts.
My point is that the people organizing and attending these protests are not “revolutionaries.” They’re people who had breakfast that morning. Who bought groceries the day before. Who have families and pets and neighbors and lives and cars that need gas and floors that need sweeping.
People who wear polka dot dresses.
These are regular, everyday people standing in front of the machinery of power and saying: No. Not here. Not us.
Not on our watch.
I believe in the everyday people in impossible places who refuse to give up. I believe in the organizers in rural Tennessee and deep-red Ohio and forgotten corners of Missouri who are cultivating progress in places where everyone said nothing could grow.
I also believe in the power of one person with shopping bags, standing in front of a tank. The power of everyday people, under exceptional circumstances, showing extraordinary courage.
And we can all be that person.
You don’t need to be a revolutionary. You don’t need formal training, or a blueprint, or a spreadsheet, or a fancy mission statement. You just need to be willing to stand in the avenue when the (hopefully metaphorical) tanks come rolling through.
And when you do, something happens.
The tanks stop. The humvees stop.
Maybe just for a moment. Maybe just to recalibrate. But they stop.
And in that moment, the whole world sees what’s possible.
One person can make a difference, friend. And everyone should try.
Let’s get to work.
Actions for the Week of October 28, 2025
Friend, things may be heavy – but you can lighten that load by doing something small – a “small deed” – to bring about the world that you want to see. In doing so we tell the world, the universe, our leaders – and most importantly, ourselves – that we will not go quietly into that good night.
I call it Action Therapy.
That’s why in each Tuesday post I share a few “small things” – usually a Small Thing to Read, a Small Event to Attend, and a Small Call to Make or Action to Take. My intention here is to give you actions you can tuck into your week with ease – and know that you’re doing something today to make tomorrow better.
Join me in doing so. It matters.
Small Call to Make: Join AOCC And Ask what Congress is doing to reopen the government and address food insecurity.
I love the Americans Of Conscience Checklist, and its founder Jennifer Hofmann is the bee’s knees. AOCC has been ongoing since right around the same time I started writing Small Deeds in 2016. I love sharing their work with you.
And today I think we should lend our voices to their effort to call on Congress and ask what is being done to address food insecurity. A great thing about AOCC is that you can click a box next to the action you’ve taken, which helps show others that you’ve taken a stand.
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (call, write, or email).
Script: Hello, I’m ______ , reaching out from [ZIP] to express alarm at the devastating impact on food security, healthcare, and more resulting from the continuing government shutdown. Millions of low-income families who rely on aid from SNAP and WIC are at risk of hunger, especially Black women, children, and elders. What is [Sen/Rep NAME] doing to address cuts to SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, and the ACA subsidies essential for affordable health insurance?
Then go to the AoCC website and click the box showing that you’ve taken action. Let’s lend our voices to this effort! Do that here: https://americansofconscience.com/10-24-2025/
Small Thing to Read: The Harvard Study!
If you’re looking for a little hope in your life, may I recommend the Harvard study I referenced above? It’s really inspiring and galvanizing to think of what is happening across the country – and it’s a quick read, to boot. Check it out here. https://ash.harvard.edu/resources/the-resistance-reaches-into-trump-country/
Small Event to Attend: Stay Safe, Stay Ready: Election Preparedness Safety & Security Training Session
The Democracy Security Project Action Fund is hosting a call on Wednesday at 5pm eastern for those looking for safety tips for knocking doors and working polling locations. Designed to help organizers and poll workers prepare for GOTV weekend and Election Day, the session will cover practical safety and security solutions for the final days of the election season, including reducing risks while canvassing, ensuring safety at polling locations, how to engage with law enforcement, and responding calmly to potential disruptions.
Register here.
Thanks for reading, friend – I’m glad to see you here! You’re making a difference, I promise.
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