Now What: Actioning Actionable Actions - 2018 Edition
Illustration by Kelly Thorn
- FIND A WOMEN'S MARCH ANNIVERSARY EVENT NEAR YOU. It’s the one-year anniversary—and while we will be bringing our power to the polls in Las Vegas on January 21st, Women’s March state organizers are holding marches, rallies and actions throughout the anniversary weekend.
- HAVE YOUR CONSIDERED RUNNING FOR OFFICE? Let's change the government from being full of old rich white dudes and being more REPRESENTATIVE of our country. Websites like She Should Run, Run For Something, and Brand New Congress are great resources to figure out how to get involved in a local (so under-looked and so important), state, or national level.
- ADD YOUR REPRESENTATIVES TO YOUR SPEED DIAL. Find your Senate and House representatives. Add Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in there too, for good measure. Call them, and call them often. CREDO has also made a great platform to email/call Senators that are vital in the confirmations of Trump's cabinet. 5 Calls provides scripts on various topics, from marijuana legalization to DACA, and the contact information of your local representatives. Still not getting through? Email or write them a postcard!
- STAY ON TOP OF & SUPPORT THE NEWS. It is overwhelming and it is tiring, but it's important to stay informed (and have purpose to call your Reps -- see #4). Get a subscription to reputable news sources like The New York Times or The Washington Post who are doing real, accountable journalism and who are under attack by the new administration. Donate to independent media like Democracy Now! Hold these news organizations accountable to report FACTS (there isn't such thing as "alternative facts"!) and to challenge politicians when they are lying or making claims without proof to back them up.
- That said, DON'T GET COMPLACENT. Taking breaks from social media and the news is healthy and PLEASE take care of yourself--but don't get discouraged or fatigued. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Ask for help from those you are closest to and trust.
- DONATE. ACLU, Planned Parenthood, Southern Poverty Law Center, The Audre Lorde Project, National Organization for Women, and local organizations need our help the most. Here's a list of other deserving organizations compiled by Jezebel.
- VOLUNTEER! 2 Hours a Week is a community fostering a new level of civic engagement following the election by offering you 2 hours a week of tangible action.
- GET INVOLVED LOCALLY. Block associations, community boards, city council meetings, and school boards. Talk to local officials. Change starts from the bottom. Swing Left helps you find and commit to supporting progressives in your closest Swing District so that you can help ensure we take back the House in 2018. Sister District organizes volunteers into local teams to win state elections for Democrats. They "sister" this deep blue capacity with swing districts to support strategic state races that matter.
Check out the Democratic Socialists of America who are working to decrease the influence of money in politics, empower ordinary people in workplaces and the economy, and restructure gender and cultural relationships to be more equitable!z - KEEP MARCHING/PROTESTING! Stay visible and show up for others in solidarity. LGBTQIA+, Black Lives Matters, Immigration, Native Rights, the environment – all of these are intersectional to feminism.
- ADVOCATE for people of color, for trans people, for sex workers, for queer people, for immigrants, in your day-to-day life. Support and advocacy come in many forms, like creating safe spaces for marginalized people and knowing when it is appropriate to listen. Sharing posts on Facebook and wearing safety pins aren't enough – be an ally with your actions and your words. White silence = violence.
GET LEARNT! Get off your smartphone and pick up a book! Start a book club to help navigate what you're reading.
Some suggested reading on intersectionality (but there are SO MANY MORE, TOO!):Ain’t I A Woman: Black Women and Feminism by bell hooks
Women, Race, and Class by Angela Davis
Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics by bell hooks
Chicana Feminist Thought: The Basic Historical Writings by Alma M. Garcia
Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
Living For Change by Grace Lee Boggs
Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More by Janet Mock
Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde
Methodology of the Oppressed by Chela Sandoval
Delusions of Gender by Cordelia Fine
Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit
Trainwreck by Sady Doyle
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimanada Ngozi Adichie.
BOYCOTT companies that support Trump or carry any Trump family products. Money talks! #GrabYourWallet is a great resource as well as the free Boycott Trump app. Seek to divest from banks that support the funding of the big oil, too. Boycott Twitter, Uber, and other social media and technology companies that support the Trump administration and their agenda.
- VOTE! Are you registered? Know when your next local and midterm elections are. If you move, remember to update your voter registration information. ALL ELECTIONS MATTER! Add November 6, 2018 to your calendar for the next midterm election.
- If you are female-bodied, STOCK UP on Plan B (the "morning after pill") – it has a shelf life of 4 years (enough to get you through the rest of Trump's presidency), doesn't need a prescription, and can be taken up to 3 days after unprotected sex. Or consider getting an IUD (which can last 10 years).
- ACT UP! ShiShi Rose has a great resource on organizing for activists and #UnifyingYourResources.
- SPEAK OUT! Add your name to the Letter of Solidarity by donating to the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund.
Photos from the Women's March in DC on January 21st, 2017 by Meg Wachter & Amanda Stosz