20 Small Acts of Resistance to Make Your Voice Heard Over the Next 4 Years
Call your elected representatives. Here’s how to reach everyone from the president to your senators to your governor to your mayor. Just say, “I’m calling to express my support for/opposition to X” and ask about their plan for the issue. It’s quick, easy, and important: every call gets tallied.
Attend a city council meeting or school board meeting. Local politics is just as important as national — and often easier to influence. Plus, it has an immediate impact on you personally! Call your mayor’s office and ask when the next public event is. Show up, ask questions, tell them what’s important to you.
Register to vote. In most states, you have to register before the election. Check the rules for your state here. Then put election days — primary and general — in your calendar, and VOTE.
Run for office. Seriously! Our government isn’t just for the people, it’s of the people and by the people, too — that means you. Google “how to run for office” + your state for guidelines.
Donate. Set up a small recurring donation (say, $5 a month) with a national group that supports your values. Or, go local: give to women’s shelters or refugee welcome centers in your community. Writer and activist Ashley Ford has a great suggestion to help hungry kids: Offer to help pay off unpaid school lunch balances at a local school.
Volunteer. No spare funds? You can still give your time. Find a local group working for a cause you believe in and call them. Senior centers, animal shelters, mentorship programs, women’s clinics, food banks — all can use your help.
Organize a drive. Challenge your school or community to donate needed items to local organizations. Clothing, coats, and food are good options; so are tampons and diapers, desperately needed by homeless populations.
Reach out. Ask your minister, rabbi, or imam to write to other local congregations, expressing goodwill and solidarity. Or ask your mayor to write to local groups likely to be targets of hate, such as mosques or synagogues, to affirm community support. Small public gestures mean a lot.
Think hard about your language. Do you use terms that are sexist, racist, or ableist, like “retarded,” “crazy,” or “gay” as insults? Those terms can alienate others — so cutting them from your vocab is one small way to help others feel welcome.
Use a reusable shopping bag, lunch bag, or water bottle. It saves plastic, and bonus: some stores give you a small discount when you go reusable.
Bike, walk, or use public transport. It’s better for the environment and reduces our dependence on oil and you’ll get more exercise: a triple win.
Stay informed. Regularly read (and if you can, subscribe to) a source doing good journalism. You’ll stay current and support quality journalism — more important than ever as Trump has made clear his outlook on the press.
Be an upstander, not a bystander. If you see harassment happening, speak up. Being harassed is terrible; having bystanders pretend they don’t notice is infinitely worse. (I say this from experience.) Don’t confront the harasser, especially if it’s not safe — talk to the harassee to make them feel less alone, and call for help if needed.
Talk to your family and friends about racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, and more. These are hard discussions, but they’re more likely to listen if it’s someone they love and respect. The Southern Poverty Law Center has a great guide on responding to everyday bigotry.
And if you’re comfortable, share your experience with racism, homophobia, misogyny, abuse. Blog about it, write about it for your school or college paper, share it on Facebook, or other social media. You’ll empower others to speak out, too.
Read (and if you can, buy) diverse literature. Books by women, people of color, LGBTQ authors, differently abled people, and non-Americans are a great way of broadening horizons and building empathy. Share books you love with others, and ask your teachers and professors to assign more diverse literature.
Leave kind notes in public. Stick a post-it in a bathroom stall, a stairwell, a subway station—“You look great today!” or “You matter”? Odds are, someone really needs to hear that today.
Let companies and individuals know when you approve of their stands. Consider all the Congressmen and women who are boycotting the inauguration — and are taking real risks by making a statement. If you agree with what they’re doing, call or email to thank them for supporting your values
Pressure companies and individuals that promote intolerance. Ask companies and public figures that promote intolerance to pull their ads or change their policies. Or follow Sleeping Giants on Twitter or Facebook — they pressure companies to pull ads from sites publishing hateful content.
Make art — especially if your voice is underrepresented. Dance, sing, draw, paint, compose, perform, write. Then share it. Talk about it. You matter and so does your voice.
