Hollywood Rallies To Take The Oath and Spark Activism

Academy Award winning writers, producers, directors, actors, and activists including Dustin Lance Black, Bruce Cohen, Tara Smith, Kaily Smith Westbrook, and Schele Williams want Americans to take an oath.TakeTheOath is a way to spark activism in each American

“The President took the Oath on January 20^th. There is no prescribed date for your engagement, so take the Oath when you are ready and join us,” states TaketheOath.com Raise your right hand and become a part of the Great American Evolution.

The video below is of the Sundance women’s march; the Oath is being led by Connie Britton and Aisha Tyler:

DIVERGE spoke to the team behind the idea to find out more:

Where did this idea come from?

#TakeTheOath was founded by Academy Award and Tony Award-winning writers, producers and directors from film, television and theater (Dustin Lance Black, Bruce Cohen, Tara Smith, Kaily Smith Westbrook and Schele Williams). It was born from a day that the founders feared the most – the day Donald Trump the Oath of Office. When looking at the actual language of the Oath they thought about how empowering it would be for every American to Take the Oath.

Why is it significant?

The Oath movement isn’t just a one-time event or a gimmick. It’s a real commitment to become engaged in this country in a new way, or a way to renew your activism. Part of our mission to was ensure that after people take The Oath they are provided with the tools to continue their engagement. We started seeking organization that were already doing that and we were excited when we met with the team at Wall-of-Us. They were providing educational platform and 4 actions for their subscribers to do in a weekly email. It was the perfect marriage of commitment and follow-through. #TakeTheOath partnered with wall-of-us to provide oath takers with four actions each week that they can take to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. The Wall-of Us team are partnered with leading law and policy organizations and experts to continue to develop and provide actions that are well researched and strategic.

When you sign up you get your weekly action on Sundays. This week’s actions were:

1.) Hold on to the audacity of hope

2.) Resist Trump’s cabinet picks by showing up to your senators’ offices on Tuesday, January 24th’s day of action

3.) Keep demanding that Trump clear his conflicts of interest

4.) Remember we are all made of star stuff.

What kind of response has it gotten?

Support has spanned celebrities and academy award winners from Broadway Stars in Hamilton to Cate Blanchett to Mayim Bialik and Alan Cumming. Since 1/16, thousands of Oath Takers have subscribed to Live The Oath and take weekly action at wall-of-us.org (close to 5k Oath Takers subscribed as of 1/26).

What do you hope to accomplish from this?

Schele specifically has said that we can’t just vote every four years and hope for change. We have to be engaged in this country every day. We have to grow with our country and nurture it’s development. We have to invest in the issues that matter to us and speak out, stand up, march, vote, represent. We cannot be complacent; we cannot be silent. If I am active in my country, my children will only know to be active in this country – I must lead by example. If I do, they will; and if they do, this Union will become more perfect.

Who is the team behind this?

#TakeTheOath was founded by Academy Award winning writers, producers and directors from film, television and theater (Dustin Lance Black, Bruce Cohen, Tara Smith, Kaily Smith Westbrook and Schele Williams). They then partnered with wall-of-us who had similar values and the infrastructure in order to ensure the movement was carried forward.

What can others do to help with your work?

Take The Oath! Here are instructions on how to take The Oath and pass this message on:

Prepare Yourself 

Don’t take The Oath lightly. Recognize that when you take The Oath, you are making a commitment to take action.

Read The Oath Record yourself reading the following Oath: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute my role as an American, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”  Any platform will do. Be creative as long as you speak The Oath the rest is up to you.

Post Your Oath

Post your content with the following copy or something like it:

“Our Democracy is my responsibility. So, I took an Oath to commit to action. You can, too. Go to TakeTheOath.us to learn about real actions you can take. #TakeTheOath #WallofUs”

Live The Oath

Taking The Oath is only the beginning. Now Live The Oath by subscribing to wall-of-us.org, where you will receive weekly acts of resistance curated by lawyers and policy experts, delivered to your inbox. Commit to making activism a habit and encourage others to do the same by sharing www.wall-of-us.org #WallofUs