As you’ve probably heard, recently a bigoted cheese puff with blonde hair, has taken over control of the United States of America. I am fervently against Trump and his policies, and I know that many others of you do. However, I know that those of us who are not in the US can feel quite helpless in this situation, but there are some ways you can help!
1. Donate to ACLU
ACLU is the American Civil Liberties Union, and they are an organisation which helps protect the individual rights of the American people in all areas of life. By donating whatever you can to the ACLU, you are enabling them to hold Trump to account by taking up legal cases against him which could remove some of the restrictive laws he puts in place. Don't feel pressured to donate anywhere and only do so if you can afford to. Anything will help.
2. Attend a protest
There will be hundreds of protests over Trump’s time in office on the variety of different issues that become exacerbated by his policies and ideology, which means you will inevitably have the opportunity at some point to have a good shout with a sign at something he’s done or is planning to do. I myself am attending a Women’s March in London in March and am keeping an eye out for any others more local to me to get involved. By spreading the images of other international and American protests, the movement against him can be given more of a voice and more pressure can be put on both Trump and his cabinet to change.
3. Hold fundraising events for the organisations Trump is cutting funding for and the charities that will help those affected by him
Many organisations have had their funding cut due to Trump’s policies, including IPPF and services around the world that offer abortions, due to his reinstating the Global Gag. This means that vital health care services are being reduced and the people who need them most are suffering, not just in America. Charities who focus on helping immigrants and refugees are also having to work harder as Trump’s clear anti-refugee stance is making it difficult for those who have no same home to return to. By aiding these organisations and charities you can help make up just a little of the funding Trump has cut, and help lessen the blow to them, even if it doesn’t seem like much. People will benefit from your help when things seem more desperate.
4. Call out any individual who is acting in a bigoted manner
By giving power, the American have inherently allowed his ideals and prejudices to trickle down and be voiced, acknowledged and spread by everyday people. There will be so many people who will feel that their racist/sexist/homophobic etc. views have been validated and will start shouting them out in both real-life and on social media. If you see this, calmly put across your view and explain to them how what they have said is bigoted or stand up and show support for the person who may be on the receiving end of their words or actions - and if they still don’t understand you can be less calm haha. If needs be, block the person or walk away and don’t put yourself in a position that may endanger you.
5. Ensure you’re educated on his actions and that you support reliable and independent journalism
With Trump and his cronies spreading ‘alternate news’ and discussing events and people in such a biased way that the public perception can be shifted to suit their own agendas. To combat this, make sure you read up using reliable sources so that you can fully understand the actual facts of the events and can, therefore, make your own independent educated opinions on them. Make sure the media you’re consuming comes from a wide range of political biases so that your view doesn’t end up being severely skewed in one direction. Free journalism means freedom of speech and the increased ability to hold those in power to account by revealing their true actions. For this, I would actually recommend Teen Vogue, who have really impressed me with their coverage on Trump and politics recently, and the vlogbrothers, who provide lots of facts and background research with a straightforward analysis of events.
Obviously, if you’re in America, there are probably more things you can do to stand up to Trump and can also contact your local representative and I would really encourage you to do so. And there are so many other ways you can get involved and stand against Trump.
What are you doing?
If you liked this post you might like: Seeing Sexism
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