Since January 20th, Backbone has responded to the Trump Administration assault on our democracy by leaning into our strength as Artful Activists and promoting our brand of positive populism.  We are heartened by the fact that we have been swamped with requests for training and tools from every day people who want to take action and rise up against this administration. 

Lucy, Backbone’s new Artful Activism Coordinator, is mobilizing teams to occupy the overpasses with giant banners - with more folks, in more places, stepping up each week! We hope you'll read on to learn what your support has made happen.

And we ask you to please keep this work happening and growing, so we can meet the demand for materials, training, and people power.  Please pitch in with a tax deductible donation today - either a monthly "Lumbar Club" donation, or a one time contribution.

Banner Actions Everywhere! 

Our weekly banner actions in several Seattle and Tacoma locations have garnered national attention from folks across the country eager to learn how to banner in their own communities.  Jumping at the chance to spread this tactic and others beyond our region, Bill and Lucy quickly responded by offering free virtual banner trainings to people from Portland to Pennsylvania and many places in between.  So far we’ve trained 78 people on how to build their own banner and we have shipped out 11 banner toolkits! 

We'll be providing an in person workshop next week in Savannah, Georgia to the Moving Forward Network as part of our participation in that coalition.  Banner Tool Kits will be going home with multiple environmental justice organizations. 

We've been meeting lots of new friends at our virtual banner trainings.  To learn how to make and deploy a banner, check out this video of the recent Training that our Executive Director, Bill Moyer, gave. 

Trainings and Meet Ups

• Our next online Intro to Bannering training happens Wednesday, March 26, 5pm pacific daylight time.  Info and link to sign up HERE.

• Our local Island community is showing up to our weekly banner builds in our Backbone Warehouse. They’re every Wednesday, so if you’re on Vashon Island, stop by and say hi - and help put together the next banner to deploy!

• A Calendar of events is on our website with info about the Builds and Deployments, as well as a local film screening of Changer - A Hand Telling.

• And we'd love for you to join us for our next Artful Activism Network call, Tuesday, April 1st.  Join us for an hour and learn about resources Backbone has to share with communities across the country.

Every penny counts as we continue to ramp up to meet demand. Please consider pitching in to support this important work. 

Taking the Streets with LIGHT

In addition to bannering, Backbone has visibility tools that include light projection, props, and LED letters. Our Light Projection work is currently featured in the new documentary by Tom Clement, Projecting Protest.

Check out the mini doc (22 minutes), and if your appetite is whetted for learning more about light projection, let us know and we’ll follow up with additional resources and how to get gear! 

Volunteer Spotlight - Leo Roux 

Backbone has been grateful to the many volunteers and folks who've stepped up.  Leo Roux has been pitching in with bannering, events, and more, and we so appreciate that he is lending his many talents to Backbone.  Says Leo:

I've spent most of my life distressed and demoralized by all the wrongdoing in our world, but I've never really taken concerted, sustained action to fight for something better. When January 2025 hit, I knew it was time to snap out of it and take a stand. Ever since I met Bill and Lucy at a rally in Olympia in early January, I've been volunteering with Backbone full-tilt. I no longer base my actions on whether or not I believe they will be successful; and for once, despite what we're up against, nothing could feel more right. It's been an honor to work alongside each amazing person involved with Backbone, and I've been particularly impressed by the leadership qualities and depth of character Bill displays at all times. I know where I stand now, and that's making all the difference.

Solutionary Rail Updates

We hope you'll listen to the newest episode of our Reconnect America podcast. This is part 1 in a multi-segment piece on US passenger rail. This episode provides a brief but fascinating overview of the history of US Passenger Rail from its early days to the 1971 bailout that created Amtrak. We also launched Rail Bites, some of our favorite clips from our amazing guests on Reconnect America. With Rail Bites, you can look forward to more frequent, shorter-form content in between our carefully crafted longer episodes.

In Washington State, we’re thrilled that the House passed the passenger rail bill for N-S service that the Rail Can’t Wait Campaign (of which Solutionary Rail is part of) put forth. The bill is now in the Senate. If you’re in Washington State and have just a couple minutes to contact your Senator, please check out this Take Action Page for links and talking points!

Check out the new monthly Solutionary Rail Newsletter, the Buzz, for more news about this grand strategic project of the Backbone Campaign.

Backbone Campaign is busier than ever, with lots of action support requests, managing bannering in multiple locations, and keeping our Solutionary Rail project growing. Thank you for being part of this work!  We couldn't do it without the many ways you pitch in with your time, talent, donations, ideas, and solidarity support.