Political activism has increased since the November presidential election, and on left-leaning Vashon, several new groups have formed while others have reactivated or expanded to address pressing concerns.

With the help of islander Kevin Jones, who served as a coordinator, we have compiled information about several of the groups, whose members say they are trying to stay informed and take action and would welcome others to join them.

Revolution Vashon

This group, which holds monthly meetings and has 250 people on its email list, began in support of Sen. Bernie Sanders. When he lost the primary election, it expanded its focus and now works to further progressive causes in the local, regional and national government. Revolution Vashon’s website includes an extensive amount of information about groups and activities at the local level and beyond, serving as a broad resource for action on progressive issues.

“People who are looking to connect can go to our website and can see who they can connect to and what actions they can take,” said Diane Emerson, one of the group’s organizers.

A new element on the site is under the tab “Find Your Group,” which aims to connect people with groups doing work they are most interested in. As island groups develop, Emerson said she expects more will be listed there.

Meetings typically bring about 20 people, and new members are welcome. The current focus is on how they can do a better job of pulling people together to avoid a duplication of efforts and in helping people connect to an action group they would be most comfortable in.

She added that local issues and actions will be featured more in the coming months.

“You are going to see more about what is going on in Olympia and where we need to take action there,” she said.

Connect: Revolution Vashon.org and Our Revolution Vashon on Facebook.

Indivisible Chapters

More than 6,000 Indivisible chapters exist across the country and are dedicated to fighting President Donald Trump’s agenda. Vashon has two registered chapters, with potentially more in the works. They are based on the Indivisible Guide, which carries the subtitle, “former congressional staffers reveal best practices for making Congress listen.”

Indivisible Backbone, affiliated with Vashon’s Backbone campaign has met twice, and 80 people have attended or expressed interest in attending, according to Jones, who is a coordinator of the group. The chapter has two action teams so far, one focusing on legislative action and the other on immigration and refugee issues. The latter group is developing specifics regarding the work they will engage in, but the legislative-oriented actions of the first group include attending rallies and meetings each week with staffers for Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell at the Federal Building in Seattle and attending the town hall meeting with Rep. Pramila Jayapal earlier this week. New members are welcome to join the groups that have formed already or to attend one of the large meetings with an idea and see if others are interested in working on it.

“The key thing is that people can bring their passion about (an issue) and get the support of the Backbone Campaign and have an outlet to reach out to others to form a group and take action,” Jones said.

Connect: backbonecampaign.org/indivisible and Indivisible Backbone Vashon on Facebook

Daylight Vashon is also an Indivisible chapter, and with 10 members, is currently full. However, member Barbara Dennard said she is happy to help others create their own chapters. She noted the Indivisible Guide recommends that groups range in size from five to 10 people.

Dennard added that Daylight Vashon will not work alone, but will coordinate with other chapters.

“We want to be effective,” she said. “I want to combine voices with other people. It’s one thing to call my congressman. It’s another if 10 are calling.”

Looking ahead, said she would like to include moderate Republicans.

“I am not tied to one party,” she said. “I am tied to preserving our Constitutional rights and preventing going to war.”

Connect: indivisibleguide.com

Vashon Resistance

Shortly after the presidential election, islander Marie Browne said she started to see hundreds of articles in her Facebook newsfeed, and while she wanted to take action, she often lost track of them.

To counter that, she started to publish simple to-do items for people to become politically engaged without, as she said, “spending all day scrolling through Facebook.”

With that, Vashon Resistance was created, and now each Thursday afternoon several people gather at Snapdragon and write their elected officials, sometimes to thank them, and sometimes to request action on current, pressing issues. Last week, 13 people were at the cafe, writing a variety of federal officials regarding such issues as preserving the Environmental Protection Agency, saving Medicaid and the importance of not selling off public lands.

By writing together, Browne said, people can learn from one another and support one another. Everyone is welcome.

“Hopefully, we will outgrow Snapdragon. We want to be Open Space-sized,” she said.

Connect: Vashon Resistance on Facebook or join them from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursdays at Snapdragon.

Vashon Climate Action Group

Andy James created this climate action group late last fall; it met the first time on Dec. 1.

While the group has more than 100 people following it on Facebook, James said 10 to 15 are showing a continuous commitment to being involved.

Currently, the focus is on two quite different actions: working to get Puget Sound Energy to drop its commitment to fossil-fuel — which James called “a large-scale piece of policy work” — and organizing an Earth Day celebration. That celebration is set for 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 23, at the Vashon High School. Members of the climate action group are working with members of the high school Green Team on the event, which will include music, speakers, resource tables and, hopefully, an electric car rally.

“We have this secret dream it will become the island’s Bumbershoot,” James said.

The group welcomes new members, and James said that between now and the event, those who join will be put to work on it. Afterward, new groups will form and focus on other issues and actions.

Connect: Vashon Climate Action Group on Facebook or email andyjames@centurytel.net.

Show Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)

Vashon’s SURJ is part a national network of groups and individuals that organize white people to work on behalf of racial justice. A dozen islanders attended the first Vashon meeting of the group less than two weeks ago; the next meeting is set for March 19.

The group is so new that its upcoming actions are not completely clear yet, but member Janie Starr said possibilities include attending the Black Lives Matter March in Seattle on April 15, hosting a parallel rally on the island and offering a range of activities that help educate islanders about racial justice.

“I feel like we are limited only by who shows up,” Starr said. “It is wide open. If people come (to future meetings), they can help frame the conversation and frame the actions.”

A SURJ Vashon Facebook page is slated to be created soon, but for now, people who would like to know more should send Starr a message via Facebook or email her.

Connect: Starrboogie@earthlink.net

Vashon Resettlement Committee

For more than a year, this committee has been working to bring refugees to the island, and organizers say they are hopeful that will happen soon. Ideally, they would like to see a number of families settle here. Not many refugees are currently coming to this area, however, so it is likely that Vashon will be a home for refugee families that have been in this country for awhile.

In the meantime, part of the committee’s goal is to provide education, and members are planning an event for April 2, with Muslim women speaking about women in Islam, family relationships and raising children in a non-Muslim culture.

Additionally, committee members are continuing to build a list of potential volunteers who could help with refugees living on Vashon in a variety of ways, including assisting with transportation, conversation and job training.

“Let us know how you would like to provide support,” founding member Mary Rose said. “We would put that in our bank and call when the time comes.”

Connect: vashonresettlement.org or find them on Facebook

All-Island Forum

The All-Island Forum (AIF) began in 2010 to provide a collaborative, participatory forum for community dialogue and action, a goal still central to its mission. Over the years, the forum has often provided public gatherings to address a range of issues. Last month it offered “Responding to the Maelstrom,” in which islanders exchanged stories of how they were affected personally and as a community by these divisive times.

Responding to the current political challenges, the forum is focusing on how individuals’ internal experiences intersect with community life, activism and resistance.

Unlike other groups listed here, the forum is not advocating or organizing an action, but rather, AIF member Karen Nelson said, organizers feel the forum provides an important underpinning to help people find out what actions they might want to take.

“Being in community with others and getting a chance to hear and listen and speak your own voice, you learn what is going on inside of you,” Nelson said.

Another public gathering is slated for April.

“We feel very motivated by the current difficult times,” Nelson added. “It feels very right to create opportunities to come together with community members.”

Editor’s Note: This list is did not capture every group on the island. Those who were not included in this listing but would like to be are invited to contact Susan Riemer at Susan@vashonbeachcomber.com to be included in the online version.