From calls to action and event calendars to suggested causes and how to start or find a local group, it’s all here.
“What can I do?
It’s a common refrain popping up everywhere from personal conversations to social media feeds, a chorus of terrified but activated Americans determined to fight back against the authoritarian onslaught of the Trump administration. This outpouring of good will is more than welcome. The ACLU raised $24 million in the first four days after the initial Muslim travel ban. At the end of December, Planned Parenthood’s donations were up 40-fold.
As the Trump presidency enters its second month, however, questions of sustainability arise. How can we integrate resistance into our everyday lives? What are the best strategies for avoiding burnout, and with fake news coming from both sides of the aisle, who can we trust for advice on calls to action?
If anything, the resistance may be entering information overload. There are countless calendars, email newsletters, Twitter accounts, and Facebook pages devoted to advice for fighting back, not to mention established organizations like the ACLU and MoveOn.org as well as upstarts like the Indivisible Guide. To better plan your activism, we’ve highlighted a few current favorite resources for multiple categories of actions, from finding protests and organizing meetings in your area to advice on how to call your elected officials and influence upcoming elections.
If anything, the resistance may be entering information overload.
Weekly/Biweekly Actions
Wall-of-Us: This newsletter is great for those who prefer to plan ahead. It’s also great for incorporating variety into your activism, as each week might include a cause to promote or donate to, a protest to attend (for events going on around the country), a series of bills to call your representatives about, or a movie to watch or book to read for further education.
Daily Actions
Action Now: From writer and activist Mikki Halpin, “A daily email of suggested actions to help others and reduce the impact of racism, sexism, class and income inequality, disability discrimination, and more.” Halpin is particularly great on self-care and avoiding burnout, as well as incorporating ways to help center marginalized communities in your activism, and places to support and donate beyond the big names like the ACLU.
Event and Protest Calendars
Resistance Calendar: Michael Moore created this national calendar that collects protests, actions, organizing meetings, and similar events around the country. Users are free to submit their own events.
Resist Here: This is the Working Families Party’s home for its schedule of Resist Trump Tuesdays events and trainings, as well as meetings and demonstrations at the offices of Congress members across the country. Some of these event names have a regional spin, like Tuesdays with Toomey in Pennsylvania, where constituents congregate at Sen. Pat Toomey’s district offices (with or without the senator’s presence) to discuss everything from cabinet appointments to protecting the ACA. If there isn’t already an ongoing event series in your area, organizers will help you start one.
Indivisible Capitol Calendar: The makers of the Indivisible Guide not only created a handy group locator, but also a massive calendar of events that includes entries from local Indivisible groups around the country, as well as information on when Congress is voting, what they’re voting on, and when they’ll be back in their districts.
Looking Ahead to 2018 and 2020
Flippable: Flippable describes itself as “a team of organizers, politics junkies, strategists, and engineers who met each other working on the Hillary Clinton campaign in Columbus, Ohio and Brooklyn, New York.” Their goal is “to turn America blue by building a movement to flip seats.”
Looking at how badly Democrats lost at every level of government and in so many states across the country, they focus on state and local races, building a stronger party from the ground up. So far Flippable has participated in three special elections, helping Stephanie Hansen keep the Delaware statehouse blue, and while they weren’t as successful in Virginia, they made the races much closer than they’d ever been and built a base of devoted volunteers ready to act in future races. Their next big test is the special election to replace former congressman and now Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price in Georgia, in which they’re supporting Jon Ossoff.
This story originally appeared on AlterNet. Republished here with permission.
