Women Finding Community in Long Beach Resistance Groups and Protests
How supportive local networks are providing emotional support and action items for women to feel more empowered and connected
Over the weekend, social media feeds were filled with Long Beach’s No Kings Day protest reflections—photos of children holding hand-drawn signs, dogs wearing protest gear, videos of impromptu group dances, and captions like: “I love my city!” and “So grateful our Long Beach community stands up” were everywhere on Facebook and Instagram.
For many women in Long Beach, these moments of protest go beyond political statements. Women are building connection, strength, and belonging across group chats, Facebook communities, and neighborhood networks a time that often feels unsettling and overwhelming. They are organizing, sharing resources, and supporting each other emotionally in these online and in person resistance groups.
Long Beach resident, mom, and occupational therapist Deborah Keefe attended the protest last Saturday with her 21-year-old son and a friend from her book club and neighborhood resistance group. Before Trump took office for the second time, Deborah didn’t see herself as someone who was politically involved. But now, she is participating in protests, postcarding lawmakers, and active in her neighborhood resistance groups:
“Being part of the resistance allows me to talk to people that are like minded and to feel very safe.”
Deborah noticed that she is distancing herself from Trump supporters in her life as she has friends and family on both sides of the political spectrum: “This second Trump term has caused more friction and I feel a disconnect with people that are supporting him.”
The informal resistance group that Deborah is part of is composed of several moms in her neighborhood and other women across Long Beach. The group gives her the emotional support and community that she needs during these challenging times:
“The community of women that are part of this group is why I love it. I have never imagined feeling so connected… These are educated women; they're wise; they come from different walks of life, which gives me an opportunity to hear perspectives of [women working in] different vocations, which is important,” Deborah shared.
The spirit of connection resonates with others, too. Kate Hamilton, Long Beach resident and founder of the Facebook group “Long Beach Ladies” with over 5,000 members, finds community in her online group and at the Long Beach protests. Kate explained that she became inspired to attend the No Kings Day protest in Long Beach by seeing: “all the positivity in the women's group. Every single day when I open it, there’re probably five posts, at least, of: ‘does anyone need help getting groceries?’”
Many women used the group to coordinate protest carpools or find others to attend with. Kate, who attended the protest with her partner and her friend, described the experience as overwhelmingly positive:
“It was honestly very uplifting, even though we're going through such horrible things right now, it was one of those things that just seeing that many other people there, it's like ‘we're all in this together.’”
She was particularly moved by the diversity and family-centered vibe of the protest:
“Seeing little kids holding up signs and knowing that even small children see that what's going on is wrong means that it's not a hard concept to grasp… I saw people from all different backgrounds and there was all different types of music blaring and there were dogs with signs, too.”
Kate moved to Long Beach 14 years ago and considers Long Beach her home:
“Going within my own community sent more of a message for my community… Long Beach is definitely my home and getting to see a bunch of my other friends and neighbors and just people that I've seen around the city all together was a lot more meaningful.”
For Amanda Thyden, Long Beach resident, mom, and Leadership Long Beach alum, the protest brought together people from all different areas of her life. She saw people from her child’s preschool and swim lessons, fellow Leadership Long Beach alumni, and people she had only met online in resistance groups:
“I think Long Beach has a really unique way of bringing people together and demonstrating kind of the value of our city in its diversity, because when you are at a protest, the entire city is there.”
Amanda finds comfort in seeing people with their children at protests: “People willing to fight for their kids' future, and therefore my kids' future, brings me joy.”
At a protest about very serious issues, hearing kids laughing and excited to see one another, reconnected Amanda with what really matters: "We're here; we're all together!”
For women like Amanda, informal resistance groups have become essential not only for activism but for maintaining mental health: “When I am in organized [formal, more structured] groups, I tend to overcommit as many of us do, and given this phase of life, I'm not ready for that.”
Deborah echoed the importance of these smaller, women led resistance circles and how they give her the energy to keep showing up: “You have to find joy in resisting together, otherwise you won’t do it.”
In a time of overwhelming uncertainty, many Long Beach women are choosing connection, resistance, and action. Whether through protests, postcarding, supporting each other, or banding together to provide aid to other Long Beach residents, they are shaping a culture of community care and civic engagement. As Deborah affirmed: “Sometimes, it feels insignificant, but I think the ripple effect is real. And I have to believe that.”