I had a lot invested in this election. I donated money, volunteered my time, spoke up about my candidate, and in the very end was confident that she would win. And she did win – the popular vote. But we all lost this election.
I had a panic attack on election night, I became physically ill, and I didn’t sleep. The next day, I was in a state of shock. I withdrew, into quiet and self care. I traded cute animal gifs with friends who were suffering – too raw to discuss our new reality.
Originally, I had planned to get through these next four years by folding in & making my world smaller, safer. I can’t do that. The feelings I’m feeling now? Marginalized people feel every day (including before this election).
Now, I’m ready to fight.
I’m not going to fight WITH people. I’m going to fight FOR people.
For all the people this hateful, fearful man is going to hurt (or try to hurt). For all the people who are scared because of the misogyny, racism, and hatred he emboldened and encouraged.
I’m a freelancer, so I have time to volunteer. And, I am pledging to donate money every month to help those that will need it most. Friends, newly engaged in the political process, have asked me where to start and how to get involved.
Where to donate (these are biggies, but I’ll share more in future posts):
https://www.aclu.org/
https://www.splcenter.org/
http://www.hrc.org/
http://blacklivesmatter.com/
https://www.rainn.org/
http://transrelief.com/
https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/
Who to follow on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/absurdistwords
https://twitter.com/rabiasquared
https://twitter.com/RuthHHopkins
https://twitter.com/sallykohn
https://twitter.com/wendydavis
https://twitter.com/repjohnlewis
https://twitter.com/JoyAnnReid
https://twitter.com/JamilSmith
How to volunteer (this can be scary & intimidating – Hello, introvert! – but give it a try, you’ll honestly feel better):
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Those donate links above? Most have a volunteer tab and/or petitions to sign!
http://front.moveon.org/
Visit your local Islamic Center and let them know they have your love & support.
Read this https://storify.com/editoremilye/i-worked-for-congress-for-six-years on how to best contact your Congressperson AND BE HEARD.
Mid-term elections happen in 2 years – SHOW UP.
SPEAK UP & speak out – too many of us let intimidation silence us during this election. Whether it was intimidation from hate groups, or just the fear that friends and family would not like what we had to say.
Not everybody’s ready to get involved yet. Some are still in shock, and need time for self care. We’ll all need a little more self care over the next four years. So, here are some ideas for that:
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Take a social media or news blackout.
Lean on like-minded friends – either in person or online.
I want to start posting about the things that make me happy & make me laugh again, too. But, I’m also dusting off this blog to share the things that need to change – and how we can work to change them. I hope you’ll join me.
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