The political chaos of recent years has left many women wondering: What is really happening to our democracy? According to experts at a national media briefing hosted by American Community Media on May 9, 2025, the answer is both clear and urgent.
Here are six takeaways every woman should know right now:
1. America may already be an authoritarian regime.
What’s happening in the U.S. isn’t just dysfunction—it’s a pattern seen in countries that have moved from democracy to autocracy.
“We expected a path that was much more in line with places like Hungary and Poland,” said Lucan Ahmad Way, political science professor at the University of Toronto. “But what we’ve seen is something much more dramatic and rapid.”
He explained that in competitive authoritarian regimes, “the opposition is allowed to run, but faces increasing costs—legal threats, harassment, or censorship. That is now unambiguously what we’re seeing in the U.S.”
2. The court system is being undermined.
Checks and balances are only as strong as those who respect them. Experts say the Trump administration has shown troubling disregard for court rulings.
“We’ve observed a pattern of both rhetorical and legal attacks on the court system,” said Aziz Z. Huq, constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago. He added, “In some immigration and spending cases, it’s not plausible to speak of good faith compliance.”
3. Due process—your right to fairness—is being eroded.
Even if you’ve never been in a courtroom, due process protects your basic rights. Losing that protection affects everyone.
“Due process is a right that adheres to humans, not just citizens,” Huq emphasized. “It is a mechanism to prevent erroneous or arbitrary government action.”
4. Women of color saw it coming.
Communities that have experienced generational injustice are seeing history repeat itself—this time on a national scale.
“There is very little that’s being experienced in this country that has not already been experienced by the African-American community,” said Professor Gloria J. Browne-Marshall, civil rights attorney and professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “They practiced on us—and now it’s expanding.”
5. Even permanent residents are being targeted.
Green card holders and immigrants face growing risks—even when their paperwork is in order.
“We’ve seen people asked to sign away their legal status at the airport,” Way said. “They didn’t understand the forms, and they were scared.”
6. Silence won’t protect you—but informed action might.
Authoritarianism doesn’t take hold overnight. It creeps in, unnoticed, until it’s too late. The speakers agreed that the best defense is knowing your rights and using your voice.
“It is never irreversible,” said Way. “We can fight back—and in the United States, with its resources and civil society, it’s unlikely that authoritarianism will be fully consolidated.”
Browne-Marshall ended with a powerful reminder: “We need to study the weaknesses of the regime and work together… You resist when you teach truth. You resist when you show up for someone being silenced. You resist when you refuse to be afraid.”
