Thank y’all so much for the support for the last post. Welcome to the new subscribers too. 🙂 I used to worry about putting too much of my activism side out here but no more. This is me. If you like it Thank You. 🙂 If you don’t…don’t let the door hit ya. 🙂 This blog has never been about money or likes. It’s simply my place to share and inspire. Whether that’s in the form of recipes or getting people to get involved that’s what this space is about.
Someone reached out and asked what they could do right NOW to help. How to get involved.
The protests and petitions are a great way to get out some of the anger but at some point you have to put all of that anger into meaningful action. Side thought re: the protests. Protest away but get out of the middle of the roads. You’re hurting everybody with traffic backups. If you want to ‘hurt’ the people who put us it this mess…don’t buy tires from Ohio…don’t buy cheese or beer from WI…don’t by cars from MI…don’t support small businesses. That’s something they’ll (eventually) feel. Blocking traffic in Miami is silly and hurting the wrong people (Miami Dade overwhelmingly voted blue).
Ok back to getting involved…
People think that the immediate lead up to election season is when the action happens…and it does but some of the most important work happens in the quiet time in the year(s) leading up to it.
Now is the time to make your plan for how to get involved.
Join your state democratic party. Volunteer. Get in the trenches. The midterms are 2 years away but like I said the ground game will start next year. Get on the roll with your official state organization. Commit to helping in whatever way you can. Volunteer to make calls…to go door to door…if your state allows it and you have a van or suv volunteer to drive voters without transportation to the polls. All of this takes planning, training and coordination which starts way ahead of actual election season. If you’re shy and can’t actually do the face to face stuff volunteer to input data or work in a city / county campaign office. And if you don’t want to get that ‘hands on’ involved…just make an ongoing financial contribution. It doesn’t have to be big at all. Every little bit helps. But let me tell you…getting down in the trenches is so infinitely more rewarding to the soul than just entering your payment info on a web form. 🙂
Also join specific state centric groups:
My favorite group in Texas is Battleground Texas. BT is making crazy gains in Texas. Some food for thought from the website:
Texas is the future.
Texas had record-breaking Democratic turnout in 2016. Battleground Texas is a statewide organization with national implications.
With 38 electoral votes, Texas is the last big state that still votes Republican. Once Republicans lose Texas, they lose their path to the White House.
This is so so important y’all. Once we can flip Texas (and Arizona)…ESPECIALLY given the fact that we are doing the flipping with YOUNGER voters…the game is changed for years and years to come.
The horrible hate based voter block this year pretty much tapped out their base (and didn’t even win the popular vote with their numbers).
The numbers ARE on our side. We just have to get them inspired, motivated and involved.
BT has been a movement years in the making here. Early predictions didn’t see Texas getting into the single digits until 2024. We’re 8 years ahead of schedule.
Get involved and let’s flip this thing completely and for good. 🙂
Those of you already living in hard – core blue states…definitely continue your ground efforts in your states but think about making some of your financial donations to Texas and Arizona. Because the sooner our states flip the better for you too.
Other things we can do…
If you live in places with large immigrant communities where workers, students and women / mothers are reporting acts of racist violence…find organizations that are set up to help them and volunteer in whatever way you feel most safe / comfortable yourself. Please though do this thru an organization. Don’t just go try to help on your own. The hate filled racist garbage attacking them will turn their rage onto you without second thought. That’s just what they are. So help but do it safely and in numbers. 🙂
Donate to planned parenthood. You can donate money or time (at some locations). Volunteer to help walk / protect patients from the vile human garbage protesters. They’ll scream at you and even throw stuff at you but it’s so worth it. Just holler back at them that you’ll pray for them. They love that. 😉 you know since they think they own the market on prayer.
Donate to legal justice groups that help the disenfranchised (people of color / the LGBT community / women’s groups / etc). There are too many organizations to try to list. Pick the one that’s closest to your heart and help. Again with your time or money.
Just find your cause(s) and dig in. That’s the only way this works. You have to commit and do your part.
We can’t win this on twitter or Facebook (leave all that nonsense to all our crazy racist aunts). You have to get out and do something. Anything. It can be scary at first but you will find your place and it is so unbelievably worth it.
Speaking of the collective crazy racist ‘Aunt Bertha’. It’s time to start shaming her. No more of this ‘oh Aunt B doesn’t know any better…she’s from a different time’ bullsh–. It’s 2016. If crazy Aunt B is 90…maybe give her a little pass. Anybody under the age of 90 knows better. They choose to be mean / hateful / horrible / garbage. Let’s take the smoking shame game and apply it to the racism (really to any of the -ist and -ic behaviors). It’s WAY past time.
I hope y’all will get involved. I promise it will fill your soul in ways you never imagined. 🙂
Y’all have a great weekend. 🙂