U.S. Artists & Cultural Workers Launch The People vs. Project 2025

U.S. artists & cultural workers launch The People vs. Project 2025, a movement to defeat Trump & the Heritage Foundation and reclaim the nation’s democratic institutions & cultural narrative.

On Saturday September 20 2025, San Francisco—in tandem with a number of other cities nationwide—will launch The People vs. Project 2025initiative with a live public action event titled, We Got The Power, to take place at Civic Center Plaza opposite City Hall at 12:00 PM PST.

The People vs. Project 2025 is a national organizing campaign designed to connect, amplify, and mobilize artists and cultural workers that are confronting — or are ready to confront — Project 2025, a coordinated authoritarian agenda threatening democracy, civil rights, and cultural freedom in the United States.

Rooted in the principles of solidarity, humility, hope, and multiplicity, The People vs. Project 2025 seeks to connect a nationwide network of artists, creatives and cultural workersdrawing on creativity and cultural expression to counter authoritarianism and targeted state repression.

The network seeks to strengthen local action-in-community by supporting the development of coordinated strategies that blend artistic practice and grassroots activism to defend democracy, celebrate collective power, and affirm the pluralistic future we deserve.

Together, the network aims to develop a list of demandsto build back the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Public Broadcasting Services (PBS), National Public Radio (NPR) and other arts and arts education services decimated by the current administration.

This campaign is both a creative experiment and an invitation for artists nationwide to build and strengthen solidarity with political organizers, justice movements, and advocacy groups across the country who are sounding the alarms and taking action every day, disrupting business as usual.

In 2025, we are beginning by inviting artists and cultural workers to help shape this initiative and/or build a local, artist-led action on the weekend of September 20 or 21, during the Autumnal Equinox: this will be time of re-balancing, reflecting, and reclaiming our narratives, situated at the intersection of climate justice and cultural freedom. From this prototype, we will lay the groundwork for deeper and sustained collaboration, giving way to a cohesive national strategy as we move toward the 2026 midterm elections and beyond.

The People vs. Project 2025spontaneously coalesced just seven weeks ago in Cincinnati, OH at the annual Americans for the Arts Conference. A number of artists, cultural workers, activists and arts advocates came together at an ad-hoc meeting on Friday June 13th and decided there had to be a coordinated national artistic initiative to defeat the fundamentalist forces behind Project 2025 and to reclaim the nation’s cultural imperative.

An instigator of the the June 13th meeting, Danielle Pender of Chicago, IL said, “The People vs. Project 2025 initiative captures the spirit of collective action within the dual contexts of artistic freedom and social empowerment. It means that when artists, advocates, and communities come together, their shared strength and creativity can overcome oppression, drive meaningful change, and build a more just and equitable society for all.”

AFTACON attendee, artist MC Rietz of Cincinnati, Ohio added, “Since protests began after the inauguration, I’ve been looking for ways to rally artists to support local activist work. This initiative is providing a framework to do just that, in community with a national network of artists doing the same in their local places.”

The goal is for the live streams to feed into a central channel where they will be diffused to audiences across the country. The People vs. Project 2025 will launch simultaneously in a number of different US towns and cities including San Francisco and Oakland.

In San Francisco, We Got The Powerwill include a large-scale artist-led public participatory performance that adapts a mix version of the song, The Power by Snap. The action will be video recorded and live-streamed.

ll will be featured as part of a coordinated national broadcast. Edited versions of the coordinated national actions will be posted to YouTube and other hosted video sites.

Professional performing arts ensembles, activist groups from communities similarly impacted by Project 2025 and creative members of the public are all invited to participate.

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Who: The People vs. Project 2025
What: WE GOT THE POWER
Where: Civic Center Plaza, 335 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102
Dates: Sat Sept 20. 10am Rehearsals; 11am Procession; 12pm Flash Dance & Performances
More Information: https://www.peoplevproject2025.org
Interested Participants, Volunteers and Spectators register at: https://www.sfiaf.org/we_got_the_power or by Phone call: 415-399-9554.

The full schedule at Civic Center Plaza is as follows:
10:00 AM : We Got The Power Flash Dance Rehearsals
11:00 AM: Artist Solidarity Procession
12:00 PM: We Got The Power Flash Dance & Showcase of Live Performances
– 12:01 PM: We Got The Power Opening Flash Dance
– 12:07 PM: Independent Performances (up to 8, max. 5 mins duration each)
– 12:54 PM: We Got The Power Closing Flash Dance
1:00 PM: End.

The artistic program will be directed by Bay Area choreographer, performing artist, educator and activist, Eric Ray Kupers. Kupers currently serves as Artistic Director of Dandelion Dancetheater and The Wandering Ensemble.

The event is presented by Mutually Assured Productions (who also produce the San Francisco International Arts Festival and other local arts events).