Terminal 4. JFK. January 30, 2017
It was my second day at the airport, fighting the Muslim ban, when I opened my Twitter account. I thought that, since the president used the platform, it would be a good way to counter him. I also wanted to amplify Lawyers for Good Government, a brand new organization that I had recently joined, which was referred to as “the legal arm of the left.”
Like so many others, I became “woke” during the 2016 presidential campaign, fighting the racism, xenophobia, and misogyny that I saw from Donald Trump. I was aghast that somebody could ignore basic tenets of the Constitution like the freedoms of speech, religion, and press; express bigoted, misogynist, spiteful, and uninformed viewpoints; and ignore plain common human decency, yet still ascend to the highest office in the land. It was, and still is, offensive to me. But somehow he won.
I had to take action, and I knew that, as a lawyer, I had skills to offer, so I dove right in. Through lawyersforgoodgovernment.org, I have participated in or helped organize The Women’s March, March for Our Lives NYC, Project Corazon for asylum seekers and separated children, and It’s Up To Us, a climate change program hailed as a “game changer” by the Sierra Club.
Suddenly, I was an activist. That led to Twitter.
I was drawn in by the egalitarian nature of Twitter, where I, with two followers, could converse with anybody willing to engage. Little did I know where this journey would take me, and I still wonder how it will end. But I was lucky enough to find a lot of wonderful people who have supported me and amplified my voice, and grateful, though somewhat mystified, that people pay attention to my contributions.
So I will continue to fight for those who cannot defend themselves; speak for those who don’t know what to say; and stand for those too afraid to rise themselves. And I will do it as an axidentaliberal and a proud board member of Lawyers for Good Government.
Never give up. Never give in. Always #Resist.
Visit Adam Cohen #L4GG Lawyers for Good Government on Twitter! @axidentaliberal
And Featured in The Spotlight on Twitter at, Adam Cohen #L4GG