The Fascism Barometer

In this deeply personal Midnight Musings episode, Ejeris reflects on the recent death of their mother, and the ways her life helped shape the vision behind The Fascism Barometer. Ejeris shares memories of growing up talking politics with their mother, watching her confront the cruelty and division of the current political moment, and carrying forward her belief that a more just world is possible....

Scholar, researcher, and former organizer Daniel HoSang joins Ejeris for a deeply clarifying conversation about how people can be drawn to movements that also target their communities. Daniel challenges the idea that shifts toward MAGA among communities of color are simply about misinformation or a political conversion. Instead, he points to a breakdown in civic life where people have lost connect...

In this "Midnight Musing", Ejeris argues that opposing fascism can’t mean simply defending a status quo that is already failing so many people. It also requires looking inward at who progressive movements haven’t reached, who they’ve pushed away.  Ejeris imagines movements that listen as well as they speak, welcome people without requiring fluency in political language, create tangible change...

Ejeris sits down with organizer, strategist, and Mijente co-founder Marisa Franco for a layered conversation about Latino communities, rising fascism and authoritarianism, and the political failures that brought us to this moment. Marisa breaks down why the debate over whether to call this fascism may matter less than whether movements can organize people around their needs, real consequences, and...

Ejeris sits down with organizer, sociologist, and United Vision for Idaho Executive Director Adrienne Evans for a powerful conversation about belonging, authoritarianism, and what it really takes to build a movement that can stop rising fascism. Drawing from more than 107,000 conversations across rural communities, Adrienne challenges the idea that people in rural and conservative areas are fixed,...

In this bonus episode of  Midnight Musings , Ejeris Dixon reflects on the emotional toll of living through escalating war, increasing violence, attacks on immigrant and Trans communities, and the growing repression of activists and organizers. Fear, exhaustion, anxiety, and despair are not merely side effects of fascism. They are part of its strategy. A society that feels hopeless is less likely t...

Ejeris welcomes back researcher, strategist, and longtime movement advisor Tarso Ramos for a sobering and clarifying conversation about authoritarian consolidation, democratic renewal, and what it means to stay in the fight. Tarso and Ejeris explore why the barometer reads differently depending on the community you belong to and the dangers you face. Together, they examine the warning signs of ris...

Ejeris Dixon sits down with organizer, strategist, and Carolina Federation co-director Sendolo Diaminah for a powerful conversation about what it takes to build a political home strong enough to confront the Far Right.  Sendolo shares the story of how workplace organizing and a clear-eyed assessment of power led him to help build one of North Carolina’s most significant independent political organ...

In this episode of Midnight Musings, Ejeris Dixon pulls back the curtain on the years long journey that led to The Fascism Barometer . Reflecting on the aftermath of the 2016 election, Ejeris shares how studying fascism, organizing communities, and translating complex ideas into accessible tools became a deeply personal mission to protect the people they love. This intimate reflection is a reminde...

In this season three premiere of The Fascism Barometer, Ejeris Dixon sits down with legendary activist, writer, and strategist Linda Burnham for a clear-eyed conversation about what it will take to fight fascism in this moment and for the long haul. Drawing on more than six decades of movement work, Linda names the dangers of fascist targeting, the need to broaden anti-fascist alliances, and the i...

In this episode of Midnight Musings, Ejeris Dixon unpacks a new White House memo that expands the definition of terrorism to target anti-fascists, Trans communities, Muslim communities, and resistance movements. This episode explores why solidarity, collective action, and refusing to “obey in advance” are essential as the Fascism Barometer keeps rising.   Because even in the middle of the night, t...

Ejeris Dixon reflects on how fascism advances not all at once, but in deliberate “steps and stages.” Drawing from the words of Toni Morrison, Ejeris explores how the erosion of rights, from attacks on TPS protections and birthright citizenship to the weakening of the Voting Rights Act, creates the conditions for escalating violence and authoritarianism. Ejeris reminds us that resisting fascism req...

In this episode of Midnight Musings , Ejeris Dixon cuts through the noise with a clear and urgent message: we are overcomplicating how to fight fascism. At a moment when political analysis is everywhere, competing for attention and authority, Ejeris offers a different approach. Not a new framework. Not a multi-point plan. Just a reminder of what matters most. We have one job. Build a bigger, more...

In this episode of Midnight Musings, Ejeris connects the dots between fascism and war, naming a pattern that has repeated across history and is unfolding again in real time. What begins as internal hierarchy and scapegoating often escalates into global violence. And the consequences are measured in human lives. Because even in the middle of the night, the barometer is still rising. And so is our r...

The Fascism Barometer team presents a new series of bonus “mini-sodes” that we’re calling Midnight Musings . Ejeris Dixon invites us into a more unfiltered space at the intersection of newfound parenthood and political reflection. As fascism intensifies around the world and at home, Ejeris shares what it means to stay present to both care work and movement work at the same time. These “movement ap...

In our season finale, host Ejeris Dixon welcomes organizer, author, and strategist Alicia Garza back to finish the conversation on power,  and what it takes to beat fascist politics. Alicia lays out a practical “ recipe for liberation ”: from deepening political education, to building community while rooting the work in love. She argues that while a small amount of people may be unmoved, the vast...

In this incredibly timely episode, host Ejeris Dixon sits down with Darakshan Raja, founding Executive Director of Muslims for Just Futures . Raja talks about how post-9/11 policies laid the groundwork for today’s increasing fascism. She also explains how the framework of terrorism expanded government power, targeted organizations and communities, and justified the expansion of prisons, policing,...

Ejeris Dixon welcomes back author and strategist Alicia Garza for a clear-eyed read of the moment. Garza breaks down how fascism weaponizes white supremacy and emergency politics to manufacture enemies, demand a strongman, and win consent, while reminding us that resistance is a long tradition in Black, immigrant, and trans communities.  Stay tuned for part two of this vital conversation, as Dixon...

Ejeris Dixon welcomes abolitionist safety practitioner Che Johnson-Long and technologist-lawyer Ken Montenegro back to The Fascism Barometer for a grounded, practical guide to resisting in a fast-shifting landscape. They unpack how fascism feeds on panic and isolation—and how all of us can respond when we examine risk, create shared tools, and take care of each other. Homework includes: broaden tr...

In the second half of this vital conversation, host Ejeris Dixon and movement strategist Tarso Ramos go beyond diagnosing the rise of fascism—they map out what we must do to resist it. From learning lessons of South Africa’s Freedom Charter and United Democratic Front to organizing a “bigger we” capable of defeating fascism and authoritarianism, Ramos shares both cautionary tales and hopeful strat...

In part one of this wide-ranging two-part episode, Ejeris Dixon welcomes Tarso Ramos back to The Fascism Barometer. Ramos, a seasoned researcher of fascist, authoritarian, and supremacist movements, shares how his family’s escape from Brazil’s military dictatorship shaped his lifelong fight against fascism. He draws chilling parallels between past regimes and today’s U.S. political landscape, brea...

In this profound episode, Ejeris Dixon sits down with healing justice visionary Erica Woodland to explore how fascism is impacting our mental health and our capacity to organize. With a background in psychotherapy and decades of movement work, Erica discusses the emotional toll of surviving and resisting while fascism rises overwhelmingly. Ejeris and Erica grapple with what it really means to figh...

What does the expansion of policing, imprisonment, and surveillance reveal about the rise of fascism? Host Ejeris Dixon sits down with long-time organizer, activist, and author Rachel Herzing to unpack the interlocking systems of state violence known as the prison industrial complex. Herzing, director of the Yarrow Institute and co-author of How to Abolish Prisons, connects the dots between rising...

This edition of The Fascism Barometer finds host Ejeris Dixon sitting down with Cristina Jiménez Moreta—bestselling author, MacArthur Genius Fellow, and co-founder of United We Dream —for a timely conversation on how fascism shows up in the everyday lives of immigrant communities. Cristina reflects on her own journey from Ecuador to the U.S. and speaks to the experiences of immigrants who flee aut...

Host Ejeris Dixon is joined by lifelong educator and organizer, Lumumba Bandele to unpack what fascism looks like through the lived experiences of Black communities in the U.S. — and why we must recognize its current and historic manifestations. From front porch conversations in Bed-Stuy to lessons learned from global solidarity movements, Lumumba offers grounded wisdom on the victories that Black...