stand up and resist the trump presidency

We are one week away from a Trump presidency. Let that sink in for a second.

To remind ourselves of that, here are some concrete steps we all can take to make sure the next four years are better than the last two months.

Show up in your community. Organizations dedicated to doing what it takes to protect marginalized communities have been in existence for decades. They have been working at local, national and international levels to make society more just, and now more than ever they need our help. Do your research and find an organization aligned with your beliefs to support. Whether you’re about fighting climate change, ending police brutality, or protecting marriage equality, there is something out there for you. So get up, get out, and get active by lending your time and energy to something greater than yourself. (Notice, I did not say give money. Donations are great but working with an organization on a large scale fundraising effort is greater.)

Hold your elected officials accountable. Your role in our government does not end after you cast your ballot on election day. The people we elect work for us. They don’t work for lobbyists, corporations or their own self-interests. It’s about time we started acting like their bosses and hold them accountable to doing right by all of us. Find out who your reps are and how to contact them, then hold them to their promises. How? Call them. Email them. Tweet at them. Send them letters. And vote their asses out if they can’t do what’s right.

Be a leader. Our country needs effective community organizers now more than ever. If you don’t see one, be one. Whether it means heading up a committee, organizing a letter writing campaign, or running for local office, now is the time to be the change you wish to see. If leadership isn’t your thing just yet, find the people in your community who are leading the charge and ask them how you can help.

Keep your head up. Enacting real, meaningful change is not easy. Progress is full of setbacks, road blocks, and struggles. It is exhausting and at times frightening, but it is absolutely necessary. We can and will get through this, we already have many times over in the generations-long fight against injustice. We won’t get through it without a little love, support, and help from our friends. So keep ya head up fam. Keep doing the good work and know that none of us are in this alone.

Protester chants during demonstration outside Donald Trump campaign rally in San Jose, California, on June 2, 2016 REUTERS

*This piece was originally published on www.offtharecord.com