As ICE kidnaps people off the streets and tears families apart, communities face a choice: be bystanders or fight back.

For many who haven’t organized before, the idea of pushing back against something as big and violent as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can feel overwhelming. That’s by design. ICE thrives on fear and confusion. The more everyday people doubt themselves—worry they’ll mess up, say the wrong thing, or stand alone—the fewer people there are to shield those targeted.

But if history teaches us anything, it’s this: You don’t have to know everything to do something.

The truth is, immigrant families in your community can’t afford for you to wait until you feel perfectly prepared to help. Fascism doesn’t need your support, just your silence. It thrives when everyday people accept cruelty as normal or inevitable. But just as our country has a long history of racism and xenophobia, it also has a long history of solidarity to fight back. 

During school desegregation in the 1960s, white allies in cities like New Orleans and Little Rock physically walked Black children past screaming mobs and hostile police to help them safely enter newly integrated schools. They weren’t experts; they were neighbors who refused to let kids in their community face danger alone. The collective action of individuals who stood firm against discrimination made progress possible and laid the foundation for lasting social change. 

This spirit of solidarity has shown up time and again—like when farmworkers organized massive strikes and boycotts in the 1960s and 70s to demand fair wages and humane conditions; when LGBTQ+ activists and allies stood up during the Stonewall uprising in 1969, sparking a national movement for queer rights; when communities protested airport detentions during Trump’s 2017 Muslim ban; and in ongoing marches, mutual aid networks, and legal battles for trans rights today. 

People power has always been the antidote to injustice, and it starts with this simple truth: an imperfect presence will always be more powerful than the fear-driven idea that someone else will do it better.

Today, in the face of ICE raids and rising anti-immigrant rhetoric, that same spirit is returning. In cities across the U.S., community members are forming walking school buses to escort children to school without fear, hosting neighborhood safety check-ins, and partnering with educators to turn schools into sanctuaries—not just in name, but in action.

To make that kind of action possible at scale, Community Change Action and their partners at Moms Rising, SEIU, AFT, MoveOn, NEA and the National Domestic Workers Alliance launched the Kids Belong in Classrooms initiative, complete with a national organizing toolkit that meets people wherever they are. Whether you’re a seasoned organizer or taking your first-ever solidarity action, this is a way to show up.

The Power of One Step

You don’t need a law degree or years of organizing under your belt to get started. You can begin by printing and handing out “Know Your Rights” red cards during school drop-off, starting a Signal thread with other neighbors to coordinate support, or simply reaching out to your local school principal or an immigrant rights organization to ask, “How can I help?” Small steps, like showing up, sharing information, or standing watch, can make a real difference in keeping families safe.

The toolkit lays out tangible, accessible ways to plug in: everything from hosting an informational coffee hour to partnering with local businesses to create safe spaces. And as you begin to build connections, those small actions become the foundation of community-wide protection.

“Whether your decision is big or small, it can have an impact,” says Kayanna Jackson Augustine, a New Jersey-based educator and organizer who’s helping spread the campaign in her local preschool community. “We can bring in like-minded people to change the policies that are affecting us. Don’t lose hope. Keep pushing. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Kayanna’s words echo the truth of grassroots power: Individual actions, done consistently and in community, can shift what feels immovable.

Holding the Door: Principal Penny Britt’s Example

NewsOne’s reporting demonstrates this same truth. In the halls of Capital City High School in Trenton, New Jersey, Vice Principal Penny Britt, a Black woman leading a majority-Latine student body, shows what it looks like to turn a school into a sanctuary.

Britt stands at the school’s entrance every morning, greeting students in both English and Spanish: “Good morning, Beautiful. Hola, señor.” Her presence is not just welcoming; it’s protective. In a city where ICE raids have made some families afraid to leave their homes, Britt’s leadership is a daily act of resistance.

She knows her students are carrying more than backpacks. They’re carrying the weight of deportation fears, empty refrigerators, court dates, and the very real possibility that a parent might not be home after school. 

“When a parent gets picked up [by ICE], the kids often stop coming to school,” said Yadira Melendez, the school’s bilingual secretary. “Sometimes they just need somebody to listen. I treat them like my own.”

That care extends beyond emotional support. Britt has helped create food and clothing pantries within the school and launched a CARES attendance program to identify and reach out to students who miss class frequently. Her model isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about filling the gaps in the ways she can. 

Start Where You Are

The Kids Belong in Classrooms Toolkit mirrors the approach leaders like Britt and Kayanna model: Don’t wait to be perfect; start by showing up.

Want to do something but don’t know where to start? The toolkit suggests:

• Print and share red cards that help people assert their rights during ICE encounters
• Join or start a “walking school bus” to escort kids safely
• Partner with your school to create emergency preparedness plans for ICE-related incidents
• Celebrate immigrant joy through cultural events and school library donations
• Organize support teams for families impacted by detention, from food drives to mental health referrals
• Talk to your school board about becoming a designated “Safe Zone”

There’s no singular right way to help. What matters is moving from fear into action, and knowing you don’t have to do it alone.

“I have the power to educate the people around me,” Kayanna says. “We can move in solidarity to create long-term strategies and take a nonviolent approach to build power that will move policies.”

Across the country, teachers, parents, and everyday people are showing up to keep kids in classrooms and families together. The fear is real, but so is the power of community.