Kindness as Resistance: Combating Racism, Bigotry, and Fascism with Courage and Compassion

When people speak of racism, bigotry, or fascism, the typical response is to fight—fiercely, forcefully, and directly. And while that urgency is valid, especially in the face of oppressive systems and ideologies that dehumanize entire groups of people, we sometimes forget that the most transformative weapons we have are not forged in fire—but in compassion, connection, and courage.

This is not an argument for silence or passivity. This is an invitation to lead with humanness in the face of dehumanization. To remember that the antidote to hate is not more hate—but rather, radical love, unwavering dignity, and relentless courage. This is about showing the world what we are made of.

Strength-Based Resistance: Reclaiming Our Power

Strength-based approaches don’t ask us to ignore suffering. Instead, they highlight the resilience, creativity, and wholeness already within us. According to Saleebey (2006), a strengths perspective in practice emphasizes “possibilities instead of problems.” It’s an act of defiance to believe in human potential in the face of ideologies that would rather see certain people silenced or erased.

Fascism, racism, and bigotry thrive on fear. But fear is no match for communities who know their worth. When we center our strengths—our stories, our culture, our ability to love and connect—we reclaim agency. This is especially crucial for those who have been historically marginalized. In Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ communities, generational survival is strength. Kindness in these spaces is not softness—it’s strategy.

“Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals.” —Pema Chödrön

The Existential-Humanistic Lens: Why Meaning Matters

Existential-humanistic psychology teaches that our deepest drive is not just survival—but meaning. Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor and founder of logotherapy, wrote that “everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances" (Frankl, 1946).

In the face of oppression, the choice to maintain dignity, to show up for others, and to practice kindness becomes a radical act of meaning-making. These choices say: “You will not erase me. I define myself.” This is not idealism. This is liberation work.

Rollo May, one of the architects of existential psychology, reminded us that courage is not the absence of fear, but the capacity to act in spite of it (May, 1981). The same courage that fueled civil rights leaders, resistance fighters, and everyday people standing up against injustice also lives in us. It is quiet sometimes, but it grows in community.

Kindness as a Subversive Force

Kindness, often dismissed as naive, is in fact revolutionary. When rooted in justice, it becomes a subversive force against systems designed to alienate and divide. Consider this: when you offer compassion in the face of cruelty, you interrupt the cycle of harm. When you affirm the humanity of others—even when society does not—you make room for healing.

In social movements, this looks like mutual aid, community care, and trauma-informed activism. It means making space for grief and joy. It means listening—really listening—especially to those who are not heard. It means de-centering ego and re-centering shared humanity.

Research supports this. Studies show that compassion-based practices can increase empathy, reduce bias, and promote pro-social behavior (Weng et al., 2013). When we extend compassion, especially in the midst of conflict, we are actually rewiring our brains and reshaping our communities.

Courage Is Contagious

We are not asking for perfection. We are asking for presence.

To speak out when it’s uncomfortable.
To stand beside others when it's risky.
To hold space when others want to rush past the pain.
To be generous with grace, but unapologetic in truth.

In a world that profits off division, we must be the ones to practice connection. In a world where cruelty is celebrated, let us create sanctuaries of care. In a world that would rather you feel powerless—feel everything. Then act.

Because love is not passive. Compassion is not compliance. And courage? Courage is showing the world what you are made of—again and again, especially when no one is watching.

Sources:

• Frankl, V. E. (1946). Man’s Search for Meaning. Beacon Press.

• May, R. (1981). The Courage to Create. W.W. Norton & Company.

• Saleebey, D. (2006). The Strengths Perspective in Social Work Practice. Allyn & Bacon.

• Weng, H. Y., Fox, A. S., Shackman, A. J., et al. (2013). Compassion Training Alters Altruism and Neural Responses to Suffering. Psychological Science, 24(7), 1171–1180.

You don’t have to burn everything down to build something better.
But you do have to show up. With your heart intact. With your eyes wide open.
And with the radical belief that a better world is still possible.
That’s what we are made of.