January 6, 2021 | Our Beer Hall Putsch & Origin Story

Hey y’all, 👋🏼

On January 6, 2021, I was isolated in the New Mexican mountains with my trusty steed (aka my corgi, Bear). I watched in shocked horror and awe as the literal walls of democracy were breached just mere hours after a Black man and Jewish man respectively won their Senate seats in Georgia. 

The whiplash was stark. I was equally relieved at the hard-won electoral victory, but fearful of history repeating itself and the clear flaws within the Democratic Party that allowed a narrow Biden victory in the face of overt fascism.

History is a Spiral

As a scholar of history, I knew Mr. Trump wasn’t the first to attempt a failed coup only to be brought back into power. An Adolf fellow tried the same thing at a Beer Hall. He was laughed out of politics and spent time in jail…only to rise to power through Nazi propaganda and become the Führer of Germany, Adolf Hitler. Sound familiar?

I don’t believe history repeats itself, I believe it rhymes. Just like a person with a good somatic therapist, our world is going through cycles and repeating moments as an invitation for change. Fascism has returned because we didn’t stop white supremacist capitalist patriarchy from continuing to divide the world between the haves and have nots. The good vs evil. The white hat vs. black hat motif in westerns. Cis vs. trans. Patriot vs. illegal.

But humanity is not binary. We all contain multitudes. (That’s why they’re so scared of trans people) This moment calls us to seek liberation for ourselves, our neighbors, and even our enemies. I believe that we can shift our world forward, but only if we get to the roots of our world to build our own agency for change. (See what I did there?)

Our Origin Story

It was that moment, smelling piñon amidst the New Mexican winter that I decided to start the roots of change agency.

I broke from my 15+ years in corporate advertising to build a decolonized communications & media agency that supports activists, movement leaders, and social change communicators. We’re now entering our 5th year and we couldn’t have done it without the support of our members and supporters. Read more about our decolonized financial model.

Thank you for being a part of the roots of change agency. We have a ton of amazing resources and content ready for you to stay grounded through actionable & hopeful media. We’re rolling out new partnerships, actions, video series, planning templates, a full library of workshops for communicators, & more!

If history rhymes, then 2026 can be the year we bring some rhythm to our movements to fight fascism and build a world we deserve.

In Solidarity,
Sam Chavez (she/they/he)
the roots of change agency