Origins

The seeds for Indivisible Asheville/WNC were planted in the first few days after the election of November, 2016. One person put out a call to action, about a dozen others quickly responded, and three of those folks got together and decided to do something more than vent. They founded this group.

In that initial meeting, they knew they wanted to focus on saving those core democratic values that had come under attack—freedom of the press, civil rights for all, the fundamental right of women to control their own bodies—to say nothing of common decency in civil discourse.

They knew they needed to speak out against the serious threats made by the president-elect—threats to people based on their religion or race or sexual orientation or gender identity, the threatened loss of access to affordable healthcare, the serious threats to our environment, the frightening threat of white supremacist rhetoric and inflammatory lies masquerading as “news.”

But how to do that? How to push back against these very real threats while reclaiming the positive values of justice and freedom?

First, they recognized that all change would come from community: Real pushback and lasting change would come from the bottom up and the inside out. So they decided to organize locally.

Second, they realized that with so many groups and organizations already in existence, at the local, state, and national level, they needed to focus on connecting people and coordinating efforts.

So they decided to form a local hub of information, resources, and actions, aimed at connecting like-minded people and empowering them to take action on critical issues. And the best way to do that, they decided, was to organize in smaller, issue-focused teams.

The group grew quickly, and when the members discovered the Indivisible Guide in December, they embraced the action tools outlined in the manual and soon decided to adopt the name, calling the group Indivisible Asheville/WNC. Although based in Asheville, the group aims to provide support for others working for change within the Western North Carolina region.

In less than three months, the group grew from a handful of concerned citizens to an organization of over 700, with 14 vibrant Action Teams fighting to restore liberty and justice for all.

Resistance is a necessary part of this work—we face serious threats to liberty and justice that we must resist. But we aim to do this in a way that’s more in line with what the Chinese called Wu-wei, or effortless action, in the hope that our individual and group actions will be in alignment with the greater good for all.

We are decidedly non-partisan. Indivisible Asheville/WNC is open to anyone and everyone who supports our mission of creating a welcoming and just world for all of our citizens.

If you’re concerned about the environment, or education, or racial justice; if you care about freedom of the press, about balanced government and fair representation; if you’re shocked at irresponsible behavior from those in positions of power, then Indivisible Asheville/WNC is for you.

Come join us!