Welcome to 50501 NY’s Substack

Who we are and what we plan to share

50501 began as a call to action — 50 protests, 50 states, 1 day.

While we were buried in Reddit trying to decode the end before it came, something broke through the despair. A fire was lit. For one day, doom scrolling turned into doing. Fear gave way to collective action. We were tired of watching from the sidelines, so we stepped out into the streets — together. And we haven’t stopped since.

What began as a single day of resistance has grown into a nationwide, non-partisan movement rooted in urgency, defiance, and an unwavering belief that hope is still worth fighting for. 50501 is now a collective, made up of hundreds of thousands of organizers, thinkers, writers, designers, scrollers, programmers, and pretty much anyone else that’s fed up – all united by a shared commitment to freedom, justice, democracy, and the belief that the government should serve the people.

Because let’s be real — this is no longer about party lines or platforms.

Politicians on the right and left have shown us again and again that they’re more interested in serving their own interests than the communities they claim to represent. We are not being represented by those in power, and we refuse to remain silent as our country quickly descends into oligarchy and authoritarianism. It is time for the power to return to the people.

And that’s exactly what 50501 is — a movement of the people.

We’re building a space that’s intentionally inclusive, radically hopeful, and deeply rooted in truth. The movement is decentralized, which means we have people contributing to the cause in every state across the country. In New York, we’ve already built an online network of volunteers, connected with organizers on the ground, and mobilized tens of thousands of people who may not have taken action otherwise.

Now, we’re starting this newsletter as a way to process together what it’s like to live through these unprecedented times and to share how we’re fighting back. While a few of us will publish here regularly, we’re also opening this newsletter to welcome submissions, reflections, and response pieces from our broader community. Follow along for political analysis, cultural critique, organizing strategies, and raw, personal reflections from New Yorkers reckoning with the hostile takeover of our government.

We hope this substack serves to remind each of us that we are not alone, that we stand side by side as the vast majority who refuse to be controlled and exploited by the few, and that we each have a unique voice and capacity for change.

Because choosing not to act is still a choice, and history shows us where that leads.

Because we believe in a vision for America that’s better than it is today.

Because we’re tired of this shit.

And, apparently, it’s up to us to make sure that the right side of history prevails.

Welcome to the movement.

Now let’s get in some good trouble, together.

---