“If you’ve wondered what you would have done if you’d lived in Nazi Germany during Hitler’s rise to power, it’s what you are doing right now.”

That’s not the exact quote, but I heard something like that the other day, and it struck home.  It’s actually  not a new thought: On Twitter I found this version from 2017, substituting “Slavery” or “the Civil Rights Movement” for “Nazi Germany,” but the point remains: What am I doing in this moment of crisis? What are you doing? What else can we do?

Well, here’s something that you can do immediately: Write the presidents of every academic institution you have a connection to and urge them to stand tall in the face of despotism.

Something like: 

Dear President XXXX,

As a proud (College or University) graduate, I urge you to join Harvard and stand firmly against the Trump Administration’s all out assault on the fundamental pillars of American society, including academic freedom. I hope that (college name) and other elite institutions will lead the effort to rebuild our democratic republic.  

I am approaching my XXth birthday and never have I been so afraid for my country.  As someone wisely observed, “If you ever wondered what you would have done if you had lived in Nazi Germany in the late 1930’s, it’s what you are doing right now.”  I believe that is correct. 

Thank you for your leadership, 

The New York Times columnist David Brooks, a lifelong conservative, has other suggestions, and I urge you to read his thoughtful piece.  He makes it clear that it’s not enough to be against Trump and Trumpism; we must also stand with equal fervor and purpose for a just society that provides fair opportunities for all.  And he makes clear that this is not a Democrat, Independent, or Republican issue. This is what all Americans must do to save our country from a power-hungry despot and his enablers.