How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for our Future

Join us for our August gathering of the FoCo Pro-Democracy Book Club as we discuss How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa. This powerful, urgent book provides a deeply personal and sharp analysis of how democracy is being undermined by disinformation, media manipulation, and the complicity of platforms like Facebook. Ressa offers a clear-eyed framework for what we can do to push back: define and defend core values, protect facts and trust, speak up, resist moral erosion, reclaim history, and build communities of action.

Join us as we share key takeaways and make space for connection and conversation about how this work relates to the global and local threats facing democracy today.

To guide our conversation, we’ll discuss:

• What most surprised or angered you about Ressa’s analysis of Facebook and media complicity?
• What does it mean to "hold the line" in your own life?
• Which of her recommended actions (from defining core values to building community) feel most actionable to you personally?
• How can we build networks of resistance and support right here in Northern Colorado?
• What role does courage play—and what does courage look like in practice?

This is a great opportunity to meet like-minded community members, learn together, and share ideas for real-world action. Bring a friend!