11 Ways to Help in the Bay Area in the Age of Trump
One of the things I’ve been struggling with since the election has been figuring out which actions to focus my time on. At almost every organizing session I’ve attended, a common theme has been: start local. Focus on those groups, issues, organizations, and candidates who need help in your community. Then, pick an issue that speaks most strongly to you, and offer your time and money to groups doing strong work in that area.
It can be tricky to know which organizations are working on issues you care about locally. While many people have heard of the ACLU, fewer people may be aware of community-based organizations working on similar issues.
I recently attended an excellent workshop presented by the Bar Association of San Francisco that served as a reference to those looking to give their time or money to help on a wide range of progressive priorities in a post-election world. The event was titled How to Be a Good Ally and included members of affected communities sharing their experiences and discussing how allies can help.
The event was primarily geared toward lawyers, but the presenting organizations can also serve as a helpful guide to volunteering for interested individuals in the Bay Area with other skill sets. Maybe you can help with tech for the organization, or assist with social media, or translate between languages, or make calls, or speak out at city council meetings, or bake cookies for staff. You can reach out to the organizations, or show up at their volunteer meetings, describe your skills and availability, and ask how you can help.
Here is the list of organizations that spoke about how to get involved in helping in each of these subject areas. A handful of organizations that did not speak are included on the list, as well. Nearly all of the organizations have a Bay Area presence and are actively looking for legal (and possibly other types of) volunteers. Donations would most certainly be welcome, too.
(Note that this list includes only a subset of the many organizations doing excellent work on these and other crucial issues.)
(1) Hate Crimes, Anti-Semitism and Rise of the White Nationalist Right
- Muslim Advocates (Oakland, CA)
- Anti-Defamation League (New York, NY)
- Sikh Coalition (Fremont, CA)
(2) Government Targeting of Muslim Community
- Muslim Advocates (Oakland, CA)
- American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (San Francisco, CA)
- Electronic Frontier Foundation (San Francisco, CA)
- Council on American-Islamic Relations (San Francisco, CA)
- Advancing Justice — Asian Law Caucus (San Francisco, CA)
(3) Immigrant Rights, Deportations and Dreamers
- Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (Los Angeles, CA)
- San Francisco Immigrant Legal Defense Collaborative (San Francisco, CA)
- Centro Legal de la Raza (Oakland, CA)
- Legal Services for Children (SF & East Bay)
- Kids in Need of Legal Defense (SF & Central Valley)
- Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto (East Palo Alto & South Bay)
- Law Foundation of Silicon Valley (San Jose)
- Attorney of the Day Program at San Francisco Immigration Court
(4) LGBTQ Equality Backlash
- California Rural Legal Assistance (Watsonville, CA)
- Transgender Law Center (San Francisco, CA)
- National Center for Lesbian Rights (San Francisco, CA)
(5) Protecting People with Disabilities & Medically At-Risk
- Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (Berkeley, CA)
- Disability Rights California (Oakland, CA)
(6) Criminalization of Communities of Color
- Color of Change (New York, NY)
- Advancing Justice — Asian Law Caucus (San Francisco, CA)
- Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area (San Francisco, CA)
(7) Reproductive Justice and Saving Roe v. Wade
- If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice (Oakland, CA)
- National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (New York, NY)
- Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California (Sacramento, CA)
- Constitutional Accountability Center (Washington, DC)
(8) Combatting Domestic and Sexual Violence
- Equal Rights Advocates (San Francisco, CA)
- Family Violence Law Center (Oakland, CA)
- U.C. Berkeley Sexual Assault Prevention/Student Advocacy (Berkeley, CA)
- also contacting the Gender Studies center at the universities you attended to advocate for ongoing efforts to prevent sexual assault on campus
(9) Protecting Workers
- Legal Aid at Work (San Francisco, CA)
- Impact Fund (Berkeley, CA)
- Service Employees International Union (Los Angeles, CA)
(10) Saving the Planet
- Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Chapter (San Francisco, CA)
- Public Advocates (San Francisco, CA)
- Environmental Law Institute (San Francisco, CA)
(11) Securing Voting Rights
- SEIU-UHW (Los Angeles, CA)
- American Civil Liberties Union, California Voting Right Project (San Diego, CA)
- Equal Justice Society (Oakland, CA)
- Common Cause (Sacramento, CA)
