50501 Iowa Coalition Newsletter November 19th, 2025

November Book Review

 by Indigo Zafar

“The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanNding of their history.” – George Orwell

1.     Conspiracy by Michael Shermer – This book discusses who believes conspiracy theories and why. The author goes in depth about when conspiracy theories have been true, such as the MK Ultra experiments, along with more recent, untrue conspiracies, such as election denial and the misconceptions about the COVID-19 vaccine. This book is a fascinating read about how conspiracy theories have changed over time and their influence on politics and the future of democracy.

2.     Attack from Within by Barbara McQuade – Written by a legal scholar and analyst, McQuade goes over how misinformation and disinformation plays a role in our media today. Specifically, she focuses on the role it played during the January 6^th insurrection and the steps we must take to combat misinformation and disinformation in the future. In a democracy, we enjoy the right to free speech and free press, but is there a line when it comes to political propaganda, misinformation and disinformation that is a direct threat to democracy and the public?

3.     The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi – Written by a Palestinian author, this book captures, as the author describes, the cliff notes version of the War on Palestine between the years of 1917-2017.  Khalidi highlights historic events, beginning with the rise of the Zionist movement in 1917. He discusses why many evangelical Christians in the U.S have backed the Zionist movement and how religion has been weaponized. This book is highly recommended if you’re interested in learning more about the history of Palestine.

4.     The Burning: The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 by Tim Madigan – In the early 1900’s, Tulsa, OK was home to one of America’s most prosperous black communities. On June 1^st, 1921, thousands of whites formed a mob and began rounding up and murdering any black person they could find. The mob burned black-owned businesses, homes, and brought in fighter planes to attack from the air. After the horrific event, there was a massive cover up. Highly recommend this book, if you have never heard of this story.

50501 Iowa Coalition Mutual Aid for November

📣Today, 50501 & DCIR collected lots of good food and over $325 in cash donations for the Decorah Community Food Pantry! Being outside the coop gave people the chance to get immediate food if they didn’t have cash on hand.

❤️Thank you to everyone that helped to make this happen!

• From our 50501 Iowa Coalition Chapter on November 1^st

On November 4^th, some of our members assisted BGSD and Creative Visions with their Give Them Cake Food Drive.

Black Friday Boycott

For too long, corporations have profited while our communities face attacks—on workers, families, and racial equity. From Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, we’re taking action with our wallets to demand accountability. This is more than skipping a sale—it’s about building power, protecting our communities, and showing corporations that our values aren’t for sale.

We’ve been exploited by large corporations for far too long. They’ve failed to keep up their end of the bargain. Trickle- down economics DOES NOT work. The People have had enough. Congress and SCOTUS have turned a blind eye while the Trump Regime violates the Constitution on a daily basis. By participating in the system, fascism thrives. Not participating says, “This is NOT normal and I will NOT comply.” Boycotting is a powerful form of nonviolent protest.

How to Participate:

If possible, support local businesses. Give back to your community. Volunteer or donate to a local food pantry or soup kitchen. Spend time at your local library.

Why boycotting businesses works:

When ABC and Disney pulled Jimmy Kimmel off the air in order to bend a knee to Trump, the people responded with their wallets. Disney’s stock dropped significantly and quickly scrambled to reverse the damages. (Yahoo Finance)

In January 2025, Target pulled their 3-year DEIA goals. People quit shopping at Target stores because of this. Recently, Target fired their CEO due to profit loss, but still has no plans to change their policies to be more inclusive. (AP News)

Starbucks has changed CEO’s several times over the past few years and has shut down many locations due to profit loss from boycotts over union busting tactics, poor wages, and controversial shareholders. Starbucks employees across the country are currently partaking in the longest strike in the company’s history. (The Guardian)

What if you don’t have options or have limited options?

Many small towns have been overrun by something called “the Walmart Effect”. The Walmart Effect describes what happens to small communities when Walmart, or other large corporations, move into the area. These large companies will offer extremely low prices that local businesses are unable to compete with, thus forcing the competition to close. This can also drive wages down and creates an economic wasteland. The Walmart Effect has had a devastating effect on small towns and rural communities. You can read more about the impact here. (Investopedia)

You can help by spreading awareness of this movement. When there are limited options, we must stand in solidarity with the workers and with our communities. These corporations have taken advantage of a system that encourages cut-throat competition. In order to make change, we must first be aware.  

Volunteers Needed: Join Our Group!

We’re looking for passionate volunteers to join our movement and help us grow! We're a community of individuals united for collective action, solidarity, and resistance. Our values include: prioritizing open communication and accountability, making sure everyone’s voice matters and decision making is collective, striving to create a welcoming environment for all, and prioritizing well-being and mutual support. We need your ideas and skills to help us build our foundation and create radical change.

Here are a few of our teams:

Media Creations:

-       Your mission: Bring our message to life!

-       Does this sound like you? You’re an artistic story-teller with the ability to turn ideas into eye-catching designs. You’ll help us create event flyers, craft stickers and buttons, and develop engaging social media content.

Research & Data:

-       Your mission: Power our projects with facts

-       Does this sound like you? You love rabbit holes and digging for info, gathering data, finding sources, researching.

Outreach:

-       Your mission: Community building!

-       Does this sound like you? You’re a people person who’s great at building relationships. You’ll help us connect with the community and bring new members into the group!

Mutual Aid:

-       Your Mission: help to build mutual aid networks locally and statewide

-       Does this sound like you? You’re passionate about direct action and helping the community, you’ll help us to create and manage networks across the state, establish relationships and help others get connected to resources for the support they need!

These are just a few of the teams we have at 50501 Iowa Coalition! Many of our members are involved with multiple teams. We welcome thinkers, creators, collaborators, and those seeking community while we navigate the unpredictable road ahead of us. Our group is open to all abilities! Woke is so back.

Ready to get involved?

Join our discord! https://discord.gg/v4dxbK9FHZ Or follow our linktree https://linktr.ee/50501iowacoalition

Or email us!