The Activist's Survival Guide

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Joann Castle is a lifelong Detroit activist, civil rights veteran and working mother, with deep roots as an anthropologist and 27 years as a community health professional. Her commitment to preserving activist history and learning from our mistakes led her to write, “What My Left Hand Was Doing; Lessons from a Grassroots Activist, a Detroit Memoir.” Castle is the creator of “The Activist’s Survival Guide,” founder of Against the Tide Books, and our newly evolved business entitled: The Activist’s Survival Guide.
  • Activists Are Power Brokers.

    Activists Are Power Brokers.

    Social Justice is our cause. 

    We invite you to take part in our exercise. Let’s learn together.

    (8 minute read)

    Photo ‘No Kings” protest. June 14, 2025, Clark Park, Detroit. First aid workers standing by.

    By Joann Castle

    Welcome to friends old and and new. It’s so nice to be with you again.

    Here at “What My Left Hand Was Doing”, we have been participating in recent protests and examining what we have learned.  Protests alone are not enough to alter the speed of our Democracy’s undoing. An intergenerational1 strategy and community organizing is needed. Our country of laws is being dismantled. We need to replace the empty space left by our losses.  We need to choose local leaders and make a plan to create a community where we can support and care for each other.

    LESSONS LEARNED:

    Let’s revisit my “The Activist’s Survival Guide.” (click here) The first principle in the Survival Guide challenges us to: BECOME A STUDENT OF SOCIAL ACTIVIST HISTORY. Knowing our history is essential to understanding who we are. Failure to know our history dooms us to repeat avoidable, sometimes fatal mistakes.

    My Activist’s Survival Guide is a compilation of lessons learned during the emotionally charged years of victories and disappointments where Black and white activists worked together in Detroit after the 1967 Rebellion and on into the 1970s. Control, Conflict, and Change, the biracial book club we created was our crowning achievement.

    Three hundred and fifty people showed up for our first meeting. Black leaders chose the books and the guest speakers, and led the table discussions. Attendees from the community were primarily white people who stayed in the city after the uprising and supported the Black struggle. This model was later adopted in other cities.

    Today, activists face a task as riddled with racism as anything we faced in the past but the context is different and the consequences could be dire. It is unclear at this time what efforts will be needed to save our Democracy. The interim goals that follow are a menu for a calculated resistance and provide a short term achievable plan to lead us forward.

    OUR INTERIM GOALS:
    • Educate ourselves on the history of our movement
    • Achieve a deeper understanding of our current situation
    • Learn how intergenerational collaboration can help us
    • Choose our leaders and organize in our communities
    • Make a commitment to do something, however small, to save our Democracy.
    SETTING THE STAGE FOR OUR EXERCISE:

    Let us begin our first actionable goal by setting the stage for our history exercise. Our current experience (seemingly a new 1800s Gilded Age2) has been led by our President and his billionaire friends. In an effort to enrich themselves, they are using an Authoritarian agenda (link) and ignoring clear danger signals from our past. This includes the social and economic impact on our seniors, our disabled, our working families and their children. Trump did not write this playbook, this has happened before.

    THE CONTEXT:

    On June 24, 2025, I wrote this in my journal:

    “I write today, at the outset of our 4th of July holidays. Last night I gathered with neighbors to watch the Detroit and Windsor Fireworks over the Detroit River that serves as the International border between the U.S. and Canada. The lights from the fireworks disturbed me. Their streams of light shot upwards, curved towards earth cascading in a loud explosion and then smoke.  “It’s a missile”, one of my neighbors shouted. No one laughed.”

    Yes, it looked like the news from earlier in the day after our president ordered the bombing of Iranian Nuclear facilities. The world held its collective breath and whispered, but why?   

    This was the night our President demonstrated to the world that he is a strongman and not afraid to take control. Such patterns are not unique in history.  Civilizations have struggled for power in this way since the beginning of time as we know it.

    Some actionable questions we might ask today are: What can we learn from other countries that have slid into Authoritarianism? How do we peacefully respond and keep our families safe? What roles can intergenerational activists play in helping people meet their essential needs, both physical and emotional? How does new technology help or hinder our actions and outcomes?

    Notice how new technology changes the playing field and our ability to reach our goals. For instance on July 8, 2025, The Washington Post reported concerns that “imposters have contacted foreign ministers, a U.S. Governor and members of Congress, sending voice text messages that mimic voice and writing style using AI.” In May of 2025, the FBI warned that “malicious actors and other forms of personalization have spread across the globe.”

    We are in upheaval but history informs us, we’ve been here before. The Luddites tried to destroy the printing press. The Cotton Gin disrupted our economy, changing our means of production and was a factor to the outbreak of the Civil War. WWII brought us massive new weapons, Hiroshima’s destruction, and the space age. Our recent infatuation with AI is not a fad; it’s a technological advance and is not going away.

    This is the battle of our time. How do we come to terms with it? To take a more objective look at our past, I decided to make a list of some of the battles for control over people and resources during my lifetime. These are events that I remember because they affected me personally. They shaped my health and welfare and major decisions that I made throughout my life. You can do the same.

    THE EXERCISE:

    Today, I invite you to take part in an exercise—on your own or with fellow activists—that turns reflection into action. Create a list of the battles against injustice you’ve witnessed or joined, and think about how those moments shaped you. In just 5–10 minutes, you’ll see how your story connects to the broader history of social movements and how generations vary in their exposure to life changing events.

    Consider how your community has changed, what challenges remain, and how new tools like technology are transforming the fight for justice. This practice is more than reflection—it’s democracy in motion and a glimmer of hope for building the future we want together.

    Recalling the major activist battles of my lifetime, I selected these from my early activist life.

    • The Civil Rights Movement years (1954 – 1968) were my Enlightenment period.  
    • Bloody Sunday in Selma and the Edmund Pettis Bridge. (1965)
    • The Alabama killing by the KKK, of Viola Liuzzo, a Detroit mother of 5–like me. (1965)
    • The 1967 Detroit Rebellion3 and aftermath.
    • Our post-Rebellion biracial book club; Control, Conflict and Change. (1970-1972)
    • Detroit Police attack peaceful Poor People’s Campaign marchers (injuries). (1968)
    • Sit-ins in the office of the mayor and police chief and protests on Detroit streets. (1968)
    • My elevator confrontation w/Catholic Archbishop Dearden. Fed Investigation. (1968)  
    • Suburban women on-call for Cop-Watching to monitor police behavior. (1970)
    • Union organizing in my community hospital workplace. (1972-1981)

    Each of us has stories that explain who we are. This is why using generations as a guide is so helpful in recounting our efforts through many lenses. Community organizing will assist us in integrating culture and identity into our strategic plans.  Combined, these approaches will provide the best outcomes to benefit the largest, most needy groups of our citizens.

    There is no time to lose.  We have armed military on our streets in some of our largest cities. ICE is in action across our country. Citizens and non-citizens, including children, are disappearing and being housed in detention centers. We need to put our activist history in perspective and see what we can learn. Discussions of the past will inform our future work.

    Ready for a challenge? Grab a few activist friends and do the exercise. Let’s learn together.

                                         Come join us. Learn, reflect, organize and pass it on.

    What did you learn in your exercise? We’d love to know.

    You can find us at… (www.activistssurvivalguide.com)

    Photo ‘No Kings” protest. June 14, 2025, Clark Park, Detroit. The largest protest in American history 4 to 6 million people participated in 2100+ events across the globe.

    FOOTNOTES:

    1. Intergenerational collaboration is the intentional cooperation between people of different age groups to share knowledge, skills, and perspectives, fostering mutual growth, problem-solving, and community cohesion. It involves recognizing the unique strengths each generation brings—such as youth’s innovation and older adults’ wisdom and experience—to create solutions and build relationships that benefit individuals and society. Effective collaboration requires an inclusive environment where all ages feel respected and valued, leading to better outcomes in workplaces, communities, and across generations. ↩︎
    2. The Gilded Age, a term coined by Mark Twain, refers to the period in U.S. history from the 1870s to around 1900, characterized by rapid industrialization, significant wealth creation by a few, and widespread political corruption and economic inequality beneath a thin veneer of prosperity. This era saw the rise of powerful industrialists, massive immigration, urban growth, and technological advancements, alongside the increasing poverty of the working class, dangerous factory conditions, and a rise in political corruption.   ↩︎
    3. The “Detroit Rebellion,” also known as the Detroit Riot of 1967 or the 12th Street Riot, was a five-day period of civil unrest in July 1967 that began with a police raid on an unlicensed bar in Detroit, Michigan. This uprising was the largest urban rebellion in U.S. history, leading to 43 deaths, hundreds of injuries, and extensive property destruction. It stemmed from decades of systemic racism, police brutality, unemployment, and poverty within the city’s African American community, and is sometimes referred to as a “rebellion” to highlight the community’s long-simmering anger and frustration over deep social injustices. ↩︎

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    All rights reserved.

    I would like to thank our technical staff for their able assistance in building this site.

    Website staff. Technical: Alexander Hamlin. Webmaster: Mollika Biernat.

  • Special Edition: Calling All Activists!

    Special Edition: Calling All Activists!

    Above: Hands Off Demonstration, Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) on April 5th 2025

    She never really left—but now she’s back with something even bigger.

    Joann Castle, a longtime Detroit activist, BookLife Prize winner, and author of What My Left Hand Was Doing: Lessons from a Grassroots Activist, is reorganizing her work with a powerful new platform for intergenerational organizing. The book that captured the roots of her journey was first published by Against the Tide Books in 2018, but the mission is alive and more relevant than ever.

    Welcome to http://www.WhatMyLeftHandWasDoing.com, a new online hub where readers, students, and activists can engage with Joann’s work in real time. At the heart of this revitalization is “The Activist’s Survival Guide” — the 11-point toolkit introduced in the original book, now being expanded to meet the demands of this political moment.

    A second edition of the book is in progress, featuring a new prologue, epilogue, and revised principles that address today’s urgent calls for justice, democracy, and cross-generational collaboration. From street protests to policy fights to kitchen-table organizing, Joann’s new work speaks to the moral clarity — and practical strategy — we need now.

    Come join us. Learn, reflect, organize, and pass it on.

    By Joann Castle.

    Welcome to friends old and and new. It’s so nice to be with you again.

     “If you want change, you need to show up. If you don’t show up, there will be no change.”

    Our new administration has been in power for 100 days. Day one, they declared a southern border crisis and have been using this manipulation to bulldoze our governmental structures. International commitments to our allies: abandoned. Civil liberties: erased. They have installed an oligarchy of billionaires and misfits to run our country, guided by “Project 2025.” They are dismantling our democratic institutions piece by piece. The speed of the destruction is dizzying.

    Word began to spread about plans for a Detroit “Hands Off!” action on Saturday, April 5th, 2025. There was no question in my mind. I had to get my feet on the street and dispel the emotional distress inside me by taking action. I had been hearing about folks being accosted and swept away out of the country with no due process. Fear was in me, but I had to go. It was time to plant my feet on the ground and let the world know that I care.

    Yes! We want free speech and due process. We want a country that follows the rule of law. No, you can’t take our Medicaid or our Social Security. No, you may not shut down our public schools or replace them with taxpayer-funded religious schools!

    It was a wet morning but the rain soon stopped. My friends and I were on our way to the “Hands off” mobilization. As we boarded the PeopleMover (Detroit’s version of a skyway), a reporter approached us and and began asking questions. My friends stepped back and gave me a gentle push towards the microphone.

    Reporter: What brought you here today?

    Answer: I had to put my body on the line. I had to speak for what I believe in. Over the years, the People have won many battles by showing up to fight back, using nonviolent resistance. Think of the 381-day Montgomery, Alabama Bus Boycott in 1955. Or more recently, demonstrations at the end of Trump’s first term that ended his policy of Separating Family’s at the border. I’ve been following events closely since the early Civil Rights Movement. 

    Reporter: How is today different than the Civil Rights Movement?

    Answer: Back then, during the Civil Rights Movement, we organized by word of mouth. There was no social media and only limited telephone service. To communicate, you had to write letters and wait for the mailman to deliver a response. An old telegraph machine would have been faster.

    For a brief history of the Civil Rights movement click here.

    There were fewer signs, usually at the front of a march, sometimes painted on a white bedsheet. Leaders used bull horns to communicate with the crowds. As technology advanced, rudimentary copy machines became available, making it possible (but expensive) to make flyers. In the city, speakers often pulled up in a Black community jumping up on a flatbed truck with only a microphone. Folks gathered around to hear the news. From a historical perspective, it’s fascinating to see how quickly technology has changed our tools and how that changes us. How we live. How we organize. How we survive.

    Observations at the mobilization: According to the press, 1,500 known groups
    across the U.S. took part in the April 5th actions. Hundreds of thousands of people lined
    sidewalks and streets from coast to coast, resisting the actions of our government.

    Here in Detroit, six thousand of us gathered outside the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) to express our opposition and our growing outrage with the new administration. “Hey, hey; ho, ho. Donald Trump has got to go.” We marched to the beat of the drummers in the crowd. No speeches. No clear leaders. With unshakable determination, we walked 3.7 miles, our hand-painted signs held high.

    There was no visible police presence. No incidents. No aggression. There was only one moment of concern, when we came upon a man lying on the sidewalk. An EMS truck with flashing lights stood by and an all-woman crew, out of uniform, were tending the patient. This event had been carefully planned to avoid raising anyone’s emotional temperature.


    Fight Tyranny


    Trained crossing guards kept watch at every corner, keeping us safe as we navigated through the intersections. We were confined to the sidewalks as normal traffic continued to flow on Woodward Avenue. Car horns repeatedly honked in support. Happy shouts rang out, and arms waved enthusiastically from windows, encouraging us on, briefly taking our minds off our aching feet and the crowded sidewalks.

    Stop-go; stop-go. “Hey, hey; ho, ho,” The chant was a constant effort to keep us moving and give us focus.  This was a jam-packed sidewalk and for many older people standing still was brutally painful. We supported and assisted each other, community smiles on our faces. We were one.

    The crowd felt different from the protests I’d experienced in the past—older and overwhelmingly white. Although there was a scattering of Black families in attendance, many with young children in wagons, others on store steps or benches, watching and waving as they explained to their children the purpose of our demonstration. These parents are building a foundation for their children’s future understanding of the importance of activism.


    Here in the center of Detroit, the pushback mobilization against our government suggests a new dynamic. Demonstrators espousing empathy and humanitarian concerns are feeling the sting of personal disenfranchisement. You could see it on their faces. The new administration’s astonishingly successful and careless attempt to destroy our democracy was unfolding, unencumbered by the rule of law. Working class parents are worried about their families, their jobs, medical care, the cost of groceries, and how they will be able to afford to educate their kids.

    We have awakened the White Middle Class. But there are additional critical considerations.
    The absence of Black and Brown bodies wasn’t apathy, it was history. Black and Brown people have carried this deep and prolonged struggle for generations, fighting a never-ending battle for full citizenship. Now their progress faces enormous odds as the new administration attempts to completely destroy their hard-earned gains.

    Shamefully, at the hands of the new administration, both legal residents and U.S. citizens alike live in fear of being dragged into detention or deported from this country to foreign prisons without due process. ICE could be lurking in this or any crowd.

    The right to protest is a cornerstone of our democracy. Protests come in all shapes and sizes.
    But in this case, one thing puzzled me: where were the police? No officers in riot gear. No barricades. I needed help to understand the lack of policing at the Detroit “Hands Off” action.
    Was color the reason no police were visible because the protesters were primarily white?

    My niece, Alena, who has partnered with me since 2018, led me to a helpful resource. The Thurgood Marshall Institute has published results of a study on the inequity of police responses to Racial Justice Demonstrations (click here). According to the study, police presence at protests can differ by as much as 40% depending on the protest’s focus. Demonstrations tied to racial justice— like Black Lives Matter or the George Floyd uprisings, see significantly more aggressive policing than so-called non-racial protests.

    “Hands Off” was considered a non-racial protest, in which sending police is a tactical decision made by local police departments. Each state has its own laws about policing protests but the right to protest is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

    And yet, on May 22, 2025, just 5 days before the anniversary of George Floyd’s murder by the Minneapolis police, the Trump administration announced that it would abandon efforts to reduce police violence in Minneapolis and six other cities.

    _______________________________________________________

    The People are rising: It’s been 30 days since the first “Hands Off” and other push-back protests. The demonstrations haven’t stopped. Protesting in large numbers draws attention to people who were previously hesitant to participate. Now they see that nonviolent resistance against the government’s actions is safe. Maybe they will join us the next time.

    Protests on a regular schedule demonstrate strength, but we also need rapid response teams when citizens face an emergency breach of civil rights and lack of due process. Many communities have organized rapid response teams for ICE arrests and deportations. Students are also at risk. We all feel vulnerable and exposed, but we are compelled. We won’t back down.

    Still, experience teaches us that protests alone aren’t enough. While we take to the streets, we also need to gather in conference rooms and on electronic screens to imagine what comes next. We need options to replace what’s been taken away from us. We need to build the kind of society we want to be.

    If we don’t know where we’re going, we’ll get lost. If we don’t build something new to replace the empty space left by our losses, we may win battles, but lose the war.

    We need a strategic plan. A real one, like “Project 2025” only in reverse. We need a vision grounded in unity, truth, and enough discipline to carry it through. The Activist’s Survival Guide in my book outlines lessons learned during the Civil Rights Movement. That’s a place to start.  Learn, reflect, organize and pass it on.  

    Thank you for spending a few minutes with us today. Joann

    “Courage is contagious.”


  • We’re Back!

    We’re Back!

    Big Update from the Team

    (Copyright © 2023 – 2025.) All rights reserved.

    What began as a book is now evolving into a movement. In 2018, What My Left Hand Was Doing: Lessons from a Grassroots Activist introduced readers to Joann Castle’s extraordinary journey—from Detroit’s racial justice frontlines to her bold vision for intergenerational activism. This award-winning memoir, originally published by Against the Tide Books, an independent press dedicated to social justice, features The Activist’s Survival Guide, a distillation of hard-won lessons learned from decades of grassroots organizing. Today, the legacy of this work continues with even greater urgency on its new platform: http://www.WhatMyLeftHandWasDoing.com

    This revitalized home for Joann’s work will soon showcase a second edition of Left Hand, updated to reflect today’s unprecedented social and political challenges. The new edition will expand The Activist’s Survival Guide, adding updated principles and tools for justice seekers of all ages. It also lays the groundwork for a comprehensive curriculum, new blog posts, and engaging intergenerational conversations—both online and within community spaces.

    Whether you’re a longtime reader or just joining us, we invite you to step into the circle. The left hand is still moving—and there’s work to be done.

    Now here’s the latest blog from our fearless leader!

    By Joann Castle.

    Welcome to friends old and and new. It’s so nice to be here with you.

    At a time when the stakes for justice and democracy have never been higher, we are called to reflect, resist, and rebuild. Activism today demands not only bold responses to the actions of our current government but also a deep commitment to shaping the future we want to live in.

    A powerful starting point can be found in the 11 Principles outlined in the Activist’s Survival Guide, featured in Chapter 17 of my book, What My Left Hand Was Doing: Lessons from a Grassroots Activist.

    See book history here and endorsements here.

    Our renewed vision speaks to this pivotal moment in our history. America’s sociopolitical landscape is shifting rapidly, as political retribution dismantles long-held norms, laws are being disregarded, and communities are left in a state of uncertainty.

    Now is the time not only to resist but also to invest in building our future. It is time to develop relationships and support one another in facing the hardships imposed on our communities. This will serve as the foundation for our success.

    Here, at What My Left Hand Was Doing, we will study the history of social justice and freedom struggles in the United States and around the world, seeking to place the current struggle in historical context and educating ourselves to understand not only where we’ve been but also where we are going.

    We believe that our strongest defense against the rollback of social justice gains involves fostering conversation between generations of activists. Bridging these generations is critical for ensuring
    continuity, connection, and a shared mission to defend our increasingly endangered rights.

    We begin our intergenerational work by revisiting “The Activist’s Survival Guide” (click here). These in-the-trenches observations and experiences summarize lessons learned during the Civil Rights era. Today, we seek to integrate these lessons with the technological advances and social media-savvy campaigns of contemporary activists.

    We’re launching our new work with a comprehensive assessment of activists across generations in the “Intergenerational Activist Survival Guide Survey” (IASGS). This will spark meaningful
    conversations and guide us in building a platform for change, rooted in past successes and energized by the vision and digital expertise of emerging leaders.

    The road to sharing my activist story was filled with unexpected detours, including the long shadow of the pandemic. Still, the work resonated. On January 5, 2021, an email arrived announcing that What My Left Hand Was Doing: Lessons from a Grassroots Activist had won the BookLife Prize from Publishers Weekly. It received a rare perfect score—10 out of 10 in every category—marking a moment of quiet affirmation after years of persistence.

    “Eloquent and engrossing”, the reviewer wrote, “Castle’s memoir is a must-read for all those interested in the Civil Rights Movement.  Providing an honest, first-hand account of Detroit’s racial divide in the 1960s. The author takes readers on an inspirational but harrowing journey through a painful time in the city’s history.”

    For more information on book awards click here.

    In addition to our new website home, we plan to publish a second edition of What My Left Hand Was Doing in trade paperback, e-book, and audiobook formats. This edition will feature a new prologue that highlights the challenges of our ever-evolving world and explores how intergenerational collaboration can blend the best of the past with the present to create an enduring strength from one generation to another. We all need someone to lean on and learn from.

    Today hard times are upon us. People have taken to the streets to express their pain. “Do something!” is an oft-heard emotional cry that reflects our helplessness. We stifle the urge to push back, constrained by an unspoken agreement to non-violence. The restraint shown by our citizens is both palpable and admirable. Queasy stomachs and sleepless nights reveal the anxiety we carry from losing our familiar ways, including our jobs, our health insurance, and our government’s guaranteed benefits. How do we find our way forward? No one can do this alone.

    Activism is much more than protesting. Seeking change occurs in many ways and is available to everyone. Take an interest in what’s happening in your neighborhood. Chat with people; get involved. Fix what’s broken, feed the hungry, and support your public schools. Offer to help when you can. Attend community meetings and town halls with your congressional representatives. Mobilize. Let your voice be heard. Have courage; hold fast to one another and offer solutions.

    Community activism is especially rewarding because it connects you with people dedicated to addressing issues that impact our daily lives. It serves as a compelling foundation for building intergenerational unity and survival.

    Plant your feet firmly on the ground and engage with your community. Stand up for those in need of support. Explore strategies to foster meaningful interracial and intercultural conversations among community members. We are more similar than you may think, and we are stronger together.

    If you would like to stay informed, please subscribe by using the button on the left.

    All rights reserved.

    I would like to thank our technical staff for their able assistance in building this site.

    Website staff. Technical: Alexander Hamlin. Webmaster: Mollika Biernat.