What does January 6th mean right now? It’s a lot of things. It’s a day that already lives in infamy in our history books. It’s an active crime scene. It’s a reminder of both the fragility and the resilience of our democratic institutions.

January 6th, 2024, the third anniversary of the Capitol insurrection, is also going to be to mark the beginning of 2024 -- a big year that will again test many of our democratic institutions. We think January 6th, 2024, is also an opportunity to show that the Indivisible movement is going to be right there fighting for our democracy.

Many Indivisible groups held effective January 6th anniversary actions in the last two years. We’re learning from what works. Though we didn’t hold national days of action on the last two anniversaries of January 6th, a number of Indivisible groups held great rallies, vigils and protests. We saw the media clips that resulted, and have talked with some groups about their tactics. We’ve incorporated learnings from those events liberally into this toolkit.

We want to keep the Indivisible movement visible in local media going into 2024. The Indivisible movement has been a consistent presence in local media across the country since 2017. Many of the busiest times have been in “off-years” when we've been lobbying Congress together: saving the ACA, fighting Trump’s worst anti-immigrant policies, demanding for voting rights and democracy reform, and stopping the MAGA agenda. In election years, many of the voter contact activities Indivisible groups put the most energy into aren’t as media-friendly. In addition, we’re no longer “the new kids on the block” like we were during the Blue Wave of 2018. Growing as a movement means trying new things.

Local media are more likely to cover events held on anniversaries like January 6th. There are a couple advantages to hosting events on anniversaries of news events. Having a date on the calendar means media outlets can plan ahead more easily. More importantly, the significance of the date means the headline “writes itself,” in a way that may make it more likely for the reporter to get the OK to cover the story. “On January 6th Anniversary, Ralliers Call For…”

This is a flexible day of action. We want Indivisible groups to do what makes sense for them. This day of action is different from most we’ve done in the past. Instead of putting pressure on our MoCs ahead of a specific vote, it serves a long-term goal of maintaining our local power, because every time we pop up in our MoCs’ local news, it reminds them that we’re a force to be reckoned with.

We hope that the ideas in here will inspire you to take action in ways that make sense for your group, and flow with your own plans for the year.

Day of Action Tactics

Hold a vigil for democracy. Hosting a vigil will both highlight the weight and significance of the day, and let your community, local press, and elected officials know that we have not and will not forget the deadly attack on our democracy that was incited by Donald Trump and Republicans. In past years, this tactic has been widely used by Indivisibles and covered by the press – like Indivisible Bucks County’s vigil last year.

Hold a democracy rally to kickoff the election year. The events of January 6 are not only another motivating reminder of what is at stake in November, but a reminder of the resilience of our democracy because of people like you. Host a rally on January 6 to kick off the election year mobilizations in your community, while demanding accountability of those working to undermine democracy and inspiring those who are working with us to save it in 2024. As a San Diego-based Indivisible leader said at their rally last year: "[It's] up to all of us to work hard each and every day to contribute to our democracy.”

Invite media to join you for a day talking to voters, tabling, or other Indivisible activities that keep democracy alive. Kick off your year with a strong, galvanizing message: we won’t forget what’s at risk, and we are going to do everything we can to protect our democracy between now and November. For folks who are already set up to register their neighbors through our tools, use this day as an opportunity to launch your official 2024 voter registration activities and invite the press to come see the work you’ll be doing.

If you can’t meet in person: Announce any plans your group has made for 2024 as a “2024 campaign launch” to reporters. You can use this day as an opportunity to point to January 6th, with a headline like “Local activist group launches their campaign plans for 2024: ‘We’ll continue to fight for our democracy.’” You can pitch this release as an exclusive to key reporters covering the elections in your district, and use data from the registration work you’ve already been doing plus outlining some goals for 2024. Similar to one of the national Indivisible organization's launches, but more specific and tailored to your district and goals.

If you have a Democratic MoC

If you have a Democratic Member of Congress, it may not seem as natural to hold a protest challenging them on their position on January 6th. It’s still a time that will have advantages for getting local media coverage, and an opportunity to get creative. Here are some thoughts about how to frame your event for your district.

Invite your Democratic MoC and other officials. If you’re holding a vigil or any other event, check if your MoC would like to join as a speaker. One Democratic lawmaker made a stirring speech at a vigil in Texas in 2022 that got multiple news stories.

Focus on calling out national Republican figures. This rally in Massachusetts in 2023 is an example of a blue-district event that focused on the national Republican figures and the need to stay vigilant. (I know; Indivisible always advises that focusing on your own lawmakers is the way to influence them. Focusing on national figures is OK for this purely messaging-oriented event.)

If you have a Republican MoC

Protest local officials with ties to January 6. This year, every Republican member of Congress has a direct connection to the January 6 attacks on our democracy – they all voted for at least one election-denying, insurrectionist- enabling to be Speaker of the House. Channel your disappointment, and remind your neighbors that their representative is complicit, by hosting a protest outside their district office or in front of your courthouse to hold them publicly accountable – similar to what Indivisible’s in Rep. Scott Perry’s district (PA-10) did last year.

Hold a protest demanding your MoC answer a key question related January 6th. Look up what your individual MoC has said about issues related to January 6th, Trump and related issues. See if there’s a question they have ‘declined to answer.’ That can make for an easily digestible story for local media. For example: This Republican MoC has confirmed he would have voted to certify the election, but has ‘declined to answer’ whether Trump incited the Jan. 6th insurrection. Contact their office once to see if you can get an answer about their position on the issue. If not: make this a focus of your protest. Include it prominently in what you send to press. Some example questions:

If Trump is charged with ___, will you still vote for him for president?
Do you acknowledge that Trump incited the January 6th insurrection?
Trump has said that if re-elected, he will ___. If you’re still in Congress, how will you respond?

If you can’t meet in person: Publish an open letter and send it to media. Draft an open sign-on letter to your member of congress demanding their answer to the question you identified. Between now and January 6, collect signatures from constituents and partner groups in your district to build out the letter and make it more impactful. Deliver the letter to your member of congress on January 6, and notify the press of this tactic. See an example of a sign-on letter groups in New Jersey sent to Bob Menendez calling on him to resign earlier this year.

Resources for Groups

Posters: Our design team put together beautiful signs to make your event a success! Click here to see what is available. You can download the signs and print them at home or take them to a local printer and get reimbursed for the cost (details below). Want to make your own signs? Try out these pre-approved messages:

Remember January 6th
Defend Democracy
Stop The Lies
More ideas: Our Democracy Is Worth Fighting For; Our Democracy Lives; We Remember January 6th; We’re Not Going Away.

Security: We know that January 6th is still a fraught topic. There are parts of the country where armed counter-protesters and concerns about bad interactions with law enforcement are very real and immediate to folks, especially BIPOC attendees.

As we said at the top: This is designed to be a flexible day of action. This is an opportunity to keep our movement visible, but there is no immediate policy change that will be impacted by our gathering. We want Indivisible groups to do what makes sense for them.

If your group has serious concerns about safety, we welcome folks to consider the tactics listed here that don’t involve gathering in-person. Our press team can provide support. Reach out to your organizer or to supportteam@indivisible.org to get connected.

Wherever you are, and whatever your level of concern, this is a great opportunity to reset on good security best practices to consider for every event to help ensure your event is safe and welcoming to all attendees.

Check out the Safety, Security, Rights & Conflict Deescalation resource. In particular, review the template for making a safety action plan, information on how to deal with private militias, and the section on conflict de-escalation strategies.

Reimbursing Costs: We have resources available to directly support Indivisible groups and their events this January 6th. Need to get our signs printed? Or buy a megaphone for your protest? Or buy pizza for your rally? We can help with that!

Groups can apply for reimbursements through the Defeating MAGA Mayhem Fund. If you’re holding a January 6th event calling out Republican extremism, submit your information with this form. (If your event involves registering voters, this fund is not appropriate for your event but check in with your organizers for other funding opportunities!.)

Note: None of the supplies purchased for this program may include written messages or communications expressly advocating for or against a particular candidate or party. You are also not permitted to use this reimbursement to purchase postage, stamps, or supplies for any mass mailings or communications regarding an election, party, or candidate. Any communications or expenses which contain messages in support or opposition to a particular candidate, party, or election will not be approved for reimbursement.

Planning Your Event

We are getting closer and closer to the anniversary of January 6th. Indivisible group leaders are experts at hosting events. And as experts, you know that it is always important to plan ahead.

A key piece of event planning should be ensuring the accessibility of your event. We want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to fully participate. Autistic Advocacy has a great guide to Accessible Event Planning you can read here.

Choose a time. It is also a best practice to check in with group members and potential speakers to see what’s most convenient before finalizing a time. As always, consider what times will be most accessible for folks in your community particularly around work and parenting or care-taking schedules.

Location and logistics. This is the next choice-point for your group. Locations that have worked well for groups to January 6th events have been at buildings like state capitols or city halls, in public space like local parks, or in other high traffic areas in your community.

Register your event to recruit through the Indivisible Events page. Once you have your event set, register it on Mobilize and it will show up on the Indivisible Map. That way we can measure Indivisible’s reach and help push out your event and help recruit attendees. Pro-tip: Is your event only for established group members and volunteers? Mark it as “private” when you register.

Delegate and determine roles. Any event is a great opportunity to develop leadership within your group and empower folks to take on new responsibilities. Depending on the scale of your event, you may want to create teams or just have one point person for specific duties. You can find some specific ideas for roles below.

Brainstorm and recruit speakers. Most effective events have 2-4 speakers with each speaker talking for 3-5 minutes. The theme for this event is the marking the anniversary of January 6th, so brainstorm and recruit speakers who can speak to that theme. Is there a developing activist with a personal story about this day? If your MoC is already a vocal fighter for democracy or can speak to what it was like to be waiting for hours in the Capitol on January 6th, we highly recommend inviting them to speak at the event. Make a plan to invite and confirm your speakers.

Build a Recruitment Plan and start recruiting. We have a handy guide all about recruiting, and a worksheet to help you build a plan. Start by re-engaging members who have dropped off over the last few years, and build out to new folks who are itching to defeat Trump in 2024.

Let us help you build out your recruitment list! Email SupportTeam@Indivisible.org to ask to join the Indivisible New Member Pipeline.

Prepare any props or setup needs. At the very least, you need a megaphone and a few signs with your demands. If it’s available to you, it is also helpful to have a podium, press packets, water, and orange traffic cones to block off traffic. Please reach out to your Indivisible organizer if we can help with resources to purchase these items.

Getting Media Attention

Getting media attention is fundamental for this event. This section will guide you step by step on engaging the press and generating earned media for your events. While getting press to show up and cover your event is never a sure thing, these are best practices that will increase your chances. It’ll also help you build a relationship with local media for the long term - you can use these steps for other events too!

January 6th is soon. We can hold an event, but we need help with media! If you have the capacity to hold an in-person event but would like help with the local media outreach, contact supportteam@indivisible.org or your organizer for hands-on support from Indivisible’s press team.

January 6th is a Saturday. What should I do differently? Make sure to follow the steps below and alert press as soon as you can, even if you only have partial details. Call your TV stations’ main numbers and ask directly: What is the best email address to send information to about an event that’s taking place on the weekend?

In some areas, dwindling newsrooms sadly mean weekend coverage is getting harder than ever to get. If that’s been your group’s experience, consider the options that don’t involve gathering in-person, and again, reach out as early as possible.

Step 1: Build a media list

A media list is exactly what it sounds like; a list of reporters and media outlets in your area that you want to tell about your event. The best format is usually a spreadsheet where you can include any individual names of reporters, media outlets, and contact information. If you have anyone in your group who has worked with press before or who enjoys digging around on Google, this is a perfect job for them! To get started:

List all the newspapers, radio, and TV news stations you already know of, and then look on their websites for contact information. You’re usually looking for a “newsroom” email and phone number, often listed in the “contact us” menu on their website.
Then you can look for recent news stories about your MoC, which you can search for via google.com/news. Look at the bylines and see which reporters cover your MoC. From there, you can read the reporters’ stories to learn about them. You can usually find their contact information on the website for their outlet, or on their social media accounts.
TV stations work a little differently with reporters working in shifts. They will still often have “contact us” sections with email addresses. Another great way to introduce yourself is to call the station (or newspaper, radio station) and ask to speak to the assignment desk. Then you can let them know about your event and ask the best reporter or email address to send an advisory. This will get you on their radar.
Pro-tip: Our press team can send you a list of reporters in your area to help you get started. Reach out to your Indivisible organizer or supportteam@indivisible.org for more information.

Step 2: Introduce yourself to reporters

Giving reporters a heads up about your event early before you send an advisory is an effective way to start building a relationship with them and get more media out to your events and to cover your group’s work. These emails are short and simple with fewer details than advisories. If you’re a few days out from your event or closer, skip this step and focus on sending your advisories. You can find a template introductory email here in our January 6th Media Toolkit.

Step 3: Advise your event

The next step is to let the media know about your event! Advisories are emails you send to reporters and outlets on your media list with details about the event. The format generally breaks down what the event is about, the date, time, and location and who the spokespeople are. You can find a template advisory to plug your event details into in our January 6th Media Toolkit.

Step 4: Prep your speakers

When the press attends an event, they’ll likely want to speak one-on-one with people there. So first, identify 1-3 people who will be ready to speak with reporters and help them prepare what they want to say. They should be ready to talk about your group, the event, why they believe Jan. 6 is a significant day, and why we must continue to defend democracy ahead of the election. The best practice is to stay close to your overall message, keep it concise, and have a few quotes ready to go (which you can also use in your press release). Most of the time, the reporter will ask easy questions. If you want some help prepping your speakers, just reach out to your organizer (or supportteam@indivisible.org) and we’ll help!

Step 5: Run a great event

Once the event has started, focus on running the best event you can! If reporters come, connect them with one of your prepped spokespeople. And remember, don’t stress if they don’t show up! You can still put your pictures and videos on social media.

Step 6: Send out a press release

A press release is a communication, usually via email and no longer than about one page, that gives a reporter some of the basics they’d need to write a story about something: background about what’s happening, quotes from relevant people, and contact information they can use to find out more. The best practice is to send these as soon after your event as possible. You can find a template press release in our January 6th Media Toolkit.

Step 7: Send out an ICYMI email to reporters

“In case you missed it” emails are a common practice that provides one last chance to get your event covered and stay on reporters’ radar. There are a couple of differences between these emails and press releases; ICYMI emails are sent after releases (which ideally are sent right after your event) and are usually less formal. There’s no special format, other than putting “ICYMI” in the subject but they should be pretty short.

Send an ICYMI email to reporters 1-2 days after your event and include any news clips, social media discussions, photos, quotes, etc. You can find a template ICYMI email in our January 6th Media Toolkit.

How do I get coverage of a sign-on letter or campaign launch?

If you are not planning an in-person action for January 6th, that doesn’t mean you still can’t try to use that day to promote democracy, demand accountability, and get some press coverage.

As suggested in the tactics section of this toolkit, January 6 is a great opportunity to utilize a sign-on letter to demand answers from your GOP Member of Congress on important questions like why they voted for an election denier to be Speaker of the House or to formally kickoff your plans for the year by announcing your goals and plans in a press release.

Both of these tactics have straightforward press strategies – and they aren’t too different from the steps listed above for an event. For a breakdown of the steps you need to take, the templates, and more tips, check out the ‘Open Letter’ and ‘2024 Launch’ sections of the January 6th Media Toolkit.

Other Resources

If you want to learn more about engaging with the media, here are some other great resources to check out.

Sample Event Roles

It is important to split up the work among your leadership team, or your best activist friends. This is good organizing. People will be more invested in events, and more likely to participate when they have a clear role. So gather your top volunteers (and the activists you are developing into your top volunteers) and decide on roles and tasks. Here are some sample roles to get you started.

Media liaison: Press outreach is most effectively handled by one person who can build relationships over time If you already have a media liaison, great! That’s your person! If not, this is a great time to develop one.
Greeters: These are your friendliest folks who always know how to make someone feel comfortable. Give them a sign-in sheet and a clipboard and task them with signing in everyone at the event. Make a point to introduce them to any new faces and connect activists who haven’t met before.
Master of Ceremony (MC): Identify at least 1 group member to be responsible for firing up the crowd, introducing speakers, starting chants, and making sure the overall program is running on time.
Speakers: Recruit 2-4 people to speak at your event. This list should include at least one leader from your group, and one developing activist. Bonus points for building intentional partnerships with ally groups in your community.
Accessibility Lead: This is a person who makes sure a baseline set of standards are met to ensure the physical, sensory, and cognitive accessibility of the event. They also manage any individual accommodation requests and conflicting access needs. Autistic Advocacy has a great guide to Accessible Event Planning that outlines some of the responsibilities of an accessibility lead.
Photographer/videographer: Ask one person to take photos and one person to take video. Got something really special and visual planned? Reach out to your Indivisible organizer about hiring a professional photographer.
Social media coordinator: At least one person (could also be the photographer) should be tweeting out photos of the event in real time! Remember to always tag @IndivisibleGuide so we can uplift your work!
Art director: Person in charge of supplies and crafts for posters, signs, and materials! This person writes the best protest signs and isn’t afraid of a little glitter.

Sample Event Agenda

We know events can be hectic, so here is a sample agenda for the day to make sure that your event goes off without a hitch.

Before the Event:

One hour before the event: Gather the people who have key roles (MC, speakers, etc.). Bring snacks and water, assemble any art pieces that need to be put together, test any technology, ready any individual accessibility accommodations that have been requested, and make reminder calls to everyone who signed up to attend.

Next, huddle with the speakers and run through their talking points. Make sure our demands are clearly articulated in each speech, and that they know the order they will be speaking.

Immediately before the event: The media liaison greets local press and gives reporters a press packet.

During the Event:

Kick-off the event: The MC starts some chants, and welcomes the crowd. They explain the purpose of the event and introduce the first speaker.

Speakers: Each speaker talks for 3-5 minutes about the importance of defending our democracy, and preparing to build on work to promote and protect democracy through the 2024 election.

Close: The MC closes the event by thanking everyone for coming, clearly reiterating our asks, and finishing out strong with some chants.

Ongoing: The Social Media Coordinator should record, live-tweet and/or Facebook-live the entire experience. You can tweet excerpts from speeches, pictures of the crowd, or gifs that perfectly express your emotions.

Make sure that you are recording and taking photos horizontally, not vertically. It really helps the video get shared and makes it usable for press.
Be sure to tag your MOC to remind them why you are putting on this event. This should be tailor to your MoC depending on if they were active in making the insurrection happen (cough Senator Hawley) or if they were in hiding that horrific day.
Be sure to tag @IndivisibleTeam on social media.
Post photos of the action to your social media accounts!

After the Event:

Immediately after the event: Send your stories, pictures, and best practices to your organizer or suppportteam@indivisible.org.

Shortly after the event: Email your attendees to thank them for a great action. Immediate follow up is important for recruitment and group longevity! Invite all attendees and activists to your next event. If you don’t have an event on the books, make sure to send them an email anyway to see if any of the attendees would like to learn more about your group over coffee or simply to let them know to look out for your upcoming emails.

Jan 6th Toolkit •