This is a guest post by my wife Elizabeth, who blogs and podcasts at Political Flavors. Follow her on Twitter at @MissCherryPi.
I’m an optimist and so Trump’s election came as a huge shock to me. I was so sure Hillary Clinton would be our next president I never even considered what this would feel like. On election night, family and friends who knew of my certainty in a Clinton victory texted me things like “I’m scared. Please reassure me.” and I responded “Don’t worry, everything’s fine! It will all work out.” It did not work out. It’s not going to be fine. I will almost certainly be fine. But my country, and its citizens who are marginalized in any way will not be fine.
What to do now? I’ve got a few ideas.
First of all, take care of yourself. If you need to turn off the TV or the internet, do it right now. Stop reading this post even. Go take a bath or a walk. Treat yourself but don’t indulge in something if it’s trouble territory for you.
Next, if you haven’t, reach out to anyone you know that is or might be feeling vulnerable and tell them you’re thinking of them. A simple “Are you OK?” or “I love you” text might be a good place to start.
Want to do more? Do you have extra time or money? These organizations need it now more than ever:
The National Network of Abortion Funds
What is an abortion fund? An abortion fund is an organization which provides monetary support for people who need abortions by cannot pay for them or the associated costs (travel, lodging, childcare). The Hyde Amendment prevents medicaid from paying for abortions and so poverty may mean no way out for those finding themselves with unwanted pregnancies.
The International Rescue Committee
Want to help refugees? “The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future”
The Queer Detainee Empowerment Project (QDEP) is a collective Alternative to Detention (ATD), detention center visitation, direct service, and community organizing project that works with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer, Two Spirit, Trans, Gender Non- Conforming, and HIV+ detainees and their families currently in detention centers, those that are recently released from detention centers, and undocumented folks in New York City.
Raices Family Detention Defense Fund
Support immigrant children and families being held in detention gain access to legal representation.
The Amazon Wishlist of the Ali Forney Center, a homeless shelter for LGBT youth
And finally, this seems like a no-brainer but the ACLU and the Sierra Club are already making a ton of noise about opposing Trump’s agenda.
Got any other ideas? Please post in the comments.