ELY — An enthusiastic crowd of about 50 people filled Northern Grounds coffee shop on Sunday afternoon as Ely Indivisible formally launched its campaign to strengthen civic engagement and progressive advocacy in the community.
Many of Ely Indivisible’s organizers had been active participants in the regional Northern Progressives network but wanted a more locally focused structure to coordinate Ely-based initiatives while maintaining a connection to a broader national movement. They chose to affiliate with the Indivisible organization, which has grown into one of the country’s largest networks of progressive community advocacy groups, and received their official charter in July.
Indivisible was formed in response to President Donald Trump’s first election as president in 2016 and has since grown into a professional national organization supporting thousands of grassroots affiliates through coordinated advocacy campaigns, leadership development, policy training, and direct lobbying efforts in Washington. Its stated mission is to “remake our democracy, action by action, day by day,” by mobilizing citizens to defend democratic institutions and advance policies that promote equity and inclusion.
That national momentum, organizers said, is what inspired them to bring the movement’s model to Ely.
Ely Indivisible Chair Betty Firth opened the meeting with an impassioned call to action.
“We are gathered here today because we are seeing our democracy under attack and our freedoms in jeopardy,” she said. “What has been happening was so unthinkable, so unimaginable, that it left some of us stunned for a while, even paralyzed. But then we began to realize that we needed to figure out how to resist and take back our country.”
Firth said the group’s creation was inspired by the belief that change has to start close to home.
“No one else is going to save us,” she said. “We are the leaders we’ve been waiting for.”
She also tied the local effort to the broader Indivisible framework, describing how the national organization provides training, grant opportunities, and coordination among local groups.
“We decided to form an Indivisible chapter here in Ely because of the resources and strong leadership the Indivisible organization offers,” Firth said.
Speakers on Sunday framed the Ely chapter’s work as part of that larger mission. They described concerns about growing political polarization, economic inequity, and threats to democratic norms, all of which they view as symptoms of a deeper breakdown in government accountability.
Firth said democracy in America has long tilted toward the interests of the wealthy, and that in recent decades a growing alliance of powerful political and financial forces has worked to tighten that control, creating the conditions that led to Trump’s rise.
Ely Indivisible’s steering committee member Val Myntii said the group intends to respond through issue-based organizing rooted in local participation.
“Indivisible understands that we are in the middle of an autocratic takeover,” she said. “We are clear about our values. We lead by our values. We clap back quickly with facts and truth. We take to the streets peacefully, and we continue to operate with grace.”
Myntii outlined the initial structure of the Ely chapter, which has created several working groups centered on key priorities: rural health care, preserving democracy, economic fairness, environmental protection, diversity and inclusion, arts-based resistance, and mutual aid. An additional effort focused on church–state separation is also taking shape. Each committee will set its own goals and projects within the broader Indivisible framework.
“We deserve a functioning democracy with an economy that works for everyone,” Myntii said, “where hard-working folks can unionize and afford the necessities to take care of their families, where the richest people pay their fair share in taxes, and where no one lives on the street or goes to bed hungry.”
One of the most developed committees so far is the rural health care group, chaired by Suzanne Mades. A retired United Methodist pastor who returned to Ely two years ago, Mades said recent federal proposals to cut Medicaid funding and allow Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire pose a serious threat to hospitals and clinics across northern Minnesota.
“The recent legislation, which Amy Klobuchar has called the big, beautiful betrayal, will devastate health care in general and rural health care very specifically,” Mades said. “Hospitals across rural regions depend on Medicaid for 17 to 25 percent of their income. Any kind of cuts like that will be devastating.”
Her committee’s first task, she said, is to speak directly with local health leaders and share their findings with the public in nonpartisan forums.
“People of MAGA or even just Republican persuasion are operating with a whole different set of facts, and we all need to hear the facts from our health care trusted professionals,” she said. “These venues must be nonpartisan. They serve everyone in the community.”
The event also featured remarks by steering committee member and secretary Anna Thompson Johnson, who spoke about nonviolent action and the importance of maintaining empathy in political dialogue.
“People who believe 180 degrees different than I do believe as passionately about what they believe as I do about what I believe,” she said. “(Understanding) that helps me communicate with people and feel compassionate with them, and realizing the opposite side does not take away from my belief, my conviction, or my power.”
Organizers said their goal is to foster dialogue and cooperation across political differences, emphasizing shared values and community problem-solving over partisanship.
“We welcome everybody,” Myntii said, underscoring the group’s invitation to residents who share their desire for a more accountable, inclusive democracy.
Firth said the group’s next steps include finalizing committee structures, recruiting volunteers, and hosting public events to introduce their work to the broader community.
“We have realized that we can make a difference,” she said. “History has shown us that collective action can take down authoritarian dictators because we’re speaking up and showing up in a lot of ways.”
As part of that ongoing engagement, Ely Indivisible is encouraging members and supporters to take part in the national “No Kings” day of protest this Saturday, Oct. 18, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Whiteside Park in Ely. The coordinated action, with hundreds of demonstrations planned nationwide, calls attention to the movement’s message that no president should be above the law.
A ”No Kings” day rally is also planned in Cook, from 10-11 a.m. at Veterans Riverfront Park, 11 River Street North. There will be music, speakers, and community-making to show there are No Kings in America.