Risk, Bravery & Collective Safety: Che Johnson-Long and Ken Montenegro on Fighting Fascism
Episode Description
Ejeris Dixon welcomes abolitionist safety practitioner Che Johnson-Long and technologist-lawyer Ken Montenegro back to The Fascism Barometer for a grounded, practical guide to resisting in a fast-shifting landscape. They unpack how fascism feeds on panic and isolation—and how all of us can respond when we examine risk, create shared tools, and take care of each other. Homework includes: broaden trusted information sources, join an organization, and start an actual risk plan.
About Che
Che Johnson-Long is an abolitionist security practitioner and community organizer who can’t leave well enough alone. She is currently the Community Safety Director at Vision Change Win and serves as a board member of Third Wave's Accountable Futures Fund Advisory Council. Before this, Che organized with the Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative of the Racial Justice Action Center, the Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative, and the Safe OUTside the System Collective of the Audre Lorde Project. She holds a Juris Doctorate, comes from a long line of Blues singers, and calls Atlanta, Ga home.
About Ken
Ken Montenegro, he/him/el, is a holistic security practitioner who appreciates the movements who have taught him the key elements of safety and security are solidarity & cool-headedness. He is a past Vice President of the National Lawyers Guild, a board member of May First Movement Technology, and was a co-founder of the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition. Ken has been the senior technologist for a number of nonprofits and has done international human rights work and election observing in a number of Latin American countries. He holds a Juris Doctorate and is bilingual in English and Spanish.
About Ejeris
Ejeris is a political strategist passionate about strengthening liberation movements and building community safety. Ejeris serves as the Fascism Barometer's "movement meteorologist," exploring the impact of fascist movements on communities of color, queer and trans communities, and all marginalized people. Having worked for the past twenty-five years at the intersections of racial justice, LGBTQ liberation, anti-violence, transformative justice, and economic justice movements, Ejeris focuses on creating political and strategic experiments to strengthen social justice movements through the organization Ejerie Labs.
Resources
Reading
Check out the “Assessing Risk” toolkit from Vision Change Win
“Community Safety: Practical Tips, Political Grounding” with Che Johnson-Long and Whitney Maxey
Vision Change Win’s Safety Tools:
Jack Aponte, “Anti-Fascist Digital Security”
CUNY’s CLEAR (Creating Law Enforcement Accountability and Responsibility), Know Your Rights Resources for navigating law enforcement
ACLU, Know Your Rights
Center for Constitutional Rights, “If An Agent Knocks”
“The Supreme Court Just Let ICE Detain Americans Based on Race,” Slate, Mark Joseph Stern
“Trump Admin Orders Deployment of F-35 Fighter Jets to Puerto Rico,” Democracy Now!
“Justice Department talks about banning transgender gun owners spark fury across political spectrum,” AP News, Alanna Durkin Richer
“Israel /OPT: US sanctions against Palestinian NGOs a blatant attack on human rights,” Amnesty International
Watching
“How Can You Be So Ignorant?”: GOP & Dem. Senators Slam RFK Jr. for Attacks on Vaccines & Science,” Democracy Now!
Listen
Take Action
Join the Fight Forward Phone Bank to learn more about the Big Ugly Bill and what we can do to fight it
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