Let's talk about Resistance Leadership... (written by Julio Nunez 1.25.26)
The term "Resistance Leadership" was formally established as a research field in 2007 by Heather M. Zoller and Gail T. Fairhurst, prominent scholars in the field of Organizational Communication at the University of Cincinnati. Their work, alongside foundational research by David L. Collinson and Keith Grint, shifted the narrative from seeing resistance as a "problem" to seeing it as a powerful form of leadership that challenges the status quo.
Today, public historian Tad Stoermer, author of the upcoming book, A Resistance History of the United States, adds a critical modern layer: he argues that true resistance leadership doesn't just work within existing systems but operates against them when they fail. For Stoermer, resistance is a "moral necessity" that occurs when institutional rules stop working, requiring us to look beyond traditional leaders to those building parallel structures on the ground.
We witnessed a tragic example of this just yesterday. Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a Minneapolis ICU nurse, displaying his full hashtag#humanity during protests against federal immigration crackdowns. Witnesses and video footage show Pretti exercising leadership not through a formal title, but through an act of protection, placing himself between federal agents and a fellow citizen who was being pushed to the ground and pepper-sprayed. His willingness to stand at the front lines, prioritizing communal safety over personal risk, exemplifies how resistance leadership often manifests as a spontaneous, moral response to perceived injustice.
Resistance Leadership as Morality in action.
The people of Minneapolis, Minnesota, have emerged as a prime example of resistance leadership in action. A day earlier, over 15,000 residents braved temperatures as low as minus 20 Fahrenheit (minus 29 Celsius) to participate in a general strike and "economic blackout," with hundreds of local businesses closing their doors to protest federal overreach. By organizing locally, from clergy members at the airport to high school students and neighborhood observers, the community assembled peacefully and demonstrated that resistance leadership is most powerful when it is collective, refusing to comply with systems they believe have lost their legitimacy.
"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” Eli Wiesel
May You Rest in Power, Alex. 🙏🏽✞🕊️
hashtag#leadership hashtag#humanity hashtag#immigrants hashtag#justice
