Will You Still ‘March’ Tomorrow?

Many commentators, and several speakers at the D.C. Women’s March (I attended one of those held in New England) vowed to continue the momentum being built by the super-sized crowds into the future and into the next four years. They generalized about how to do this, but unless we get specific, I fear the momentum may peter out like so many past movements (here’s looking at you, Occupy, and even Bernie’s movement, which failed to stop Trump even after he threw his weight behind Hillary).

Before I begin, I want to address an issue I heard repeated many times at the march — “four years” of weathering Trump. That’s a defeatist attitude, and one fighting progressives need to reject. We only need to weather two years. If we really put in the effort and fight like hell, we can stop him in just two years by working to take back the House and Senate. If we even gain one house of Congress, that changes the dynamic in Washington completely. I’ll be writing more about this in my next post. Stay tuned.

First, we need to get serious about politics. Marches are great. I was inspired by the one I attended. People were happy, exhilarated and sharing ideas. But marches are great places to fuel up, but do not actually do the work required to reach our destination. That’s up to us carrying the work forward. Politics takes many forms and I think we need to focus on three ways to stop the Trump agenda.

1. Bug the hell out of Congress. Write letters, make phone calls, send emails. When democratic values and human rights are threatened, demonstrate your disappointment and disapproval in a way that actually gets noticed. Twitter is all spasm — letters, calls, staff member time, that’s action.
2. Get friendly with your friendly representatives. Engage true leaders in Congress and offer to help in any way you can. For some people, that may mean providing testimony at a State or Federal hearing. For others, it may mean a mailing campaign. The possibilities are endless, but they open up only when we open up to those who need our backing.
3. Run for something. Local politics is a great way to stem the tide of Trumpism. Get on your City Council, run for your State legislature, join a neighborhood association. We can find alternative ways to support our values and ease the suffering in our communities through local and State politics.

Second, support the causes you believe in. For some people, this may mean money. Donating to the ACLU, your favored political party, Planned Parenthood, or any cause you believe in is a good way to lend support to those under attack. You could also join the organization and get to work fending off funding cuts, restoring services and opportunities to those the organization serves.

Third, live the alternative. Trump will certainly roll back many things progressives care about. But, we can treat those on the margins with the same dignity they deserve despite Trump’s presidency. We can also still make ethical choices for our climate and for our food supply. We can shop at places that pay living wages and donate to shelters and food banks. Trump may be able to change laws, but he cannot change your heart or your mind — another example of being the change you wish to see in the world.

Originally published at firesideblog.org on January 21, 2017.