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After 28 years of service in Arlington County’s local government, first on the School Board and then the County Board, I have stepped into a new role and life chapter: Private Citizen. My career has equipped me with extensive experience, valuable connections, and an unwavering passion for fostering good local government in Arlington and in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia (DMV) region, an area I call home.

May 29 Blog: Resistance & Continuing to Stay Positive

Dear Friends:

I hope everyone had a good, if somewhat damp, Memorial Day Weekend.

We were not out on the bridge, although some of the bridge team joined events at Memorial Bridge protesting the Arch de Trump. Unlike when we started, there are many opportunities now to join various protests and provide social proof of what we know: grassroots efforts everywhere are leading the Resistance and continuing to build. This regime’s support across the nation is tanking.

Many of my core team on the bridge are out of town for the next week or so, and, given how many people are protesting these days, we’ve decided we can simply take a break. We’ll be out for sure on and leading up to June 6 D Day, which the national Visibility Brigade network has named Democracy Day. That Saturday afternoon we will join teams in just about every state with banners reminding people of the sacrifice our soldiers made on D Day, its significance then for defeating fascism abroad and its inspiration for us now to defeat fascism here at home.

My last blog on staying positive yielded a number of suggestions from readers who shared what they do. I much appreciate the suggestions and I thought I’d share some here with all my readers:

"Thank you for your helpful posts and doing your best in these dark times. I want to share a "staying positive" message from Samantha Power (former Administrator of USAID), who recently gave a wonderful commencement speech at American University. Enjoy!"

"I rely on my faith to keep me positive. I turn to Bible verses like Psalm 112:7 - "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord." I believe we're fighting not against the pitiful MAGA figures, but against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). We're going to win in the end, because God is ultimately in control, and "greater is he that is us than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4) I try to reframe this moment as a privilege to be living in this time, to play a small part in the fight against the evil that has risen up in this country like never before in my lifetime."

"STAY POSITIVE by looking beyond the local, national and even personal perspectives to NATURE. I am a new convert to forest bathing, but any experience in appreciating the natural world renews belief in forces beyond ourselves, a very useful perspective in times of turmoil.”

There are so many ways to stay positive and inspired! With the cancellation of Stephen Colbert, I lost one of my favorites. I always looked forward to watching the monologue and often the interviews as well. I’m sure Stephen will continue to appear quite a bit. Readers might enjoy this local approach for his first night back. The comedian guest-hosted the Michigan public access show Only in Monroe. However, it was nice to have a regular schedule to count on.

And, just in time, another regular shot of positivity has started. Heather Cox Richardson has announced her “250 to 250 series” a series of one-minute stories of the many people, places, and events that have built our country and remind us of the power of each person to make history. #WeAreAmerica.

On another note, as we prepared to send this blog, I realized some of my readers may not yet be aware of what is happening in New Jersey at the Delaney Hall immigrant detention center. Heather covers it well in her May 26 “Letters from an American” podcast. I am hearing about it from Indivisible and my national Visibility Brigade which have been helping with protests. The situation deserves much more attention than mainstream media is giving it at the moment.

Detainees have called for help, describing conditions as overcrowded and unsafe. Detainees have not been afforded legal hearings and are being pressured to self deport. The detainees began a hunger strike and members of congress, as well as New Jersey’s governor, have visited the facility and confirmed the accounts of cruel and inhumane conditions.

May 26, 2026 Demonstrators at the Delaney Hall detention center in New Jersey, including U.S. Senator Andy Kim, were pepper sprayed by federal agents.

Yours in peaceful resistance and even more positivity,

Libby