Post-election, many people were further motivated to take action against the social injustices that are threatening this nation. The road to mobilization is not a short or simple one. There must be adequate time to react to an injustice, process your emotions, check those emotions, organize yourself and others, and then get to work. We often want change immediately, without knowing what that would look like or how to accomplish it.
But if you are willing to invest time into this fight for the long haul, there are some things that are going on right now that you can be a part of. Sometimes it isn’t easy to figure out the first step and take it. Lucky for our generation, most of these things just require taking that first click.
On December 5, the Injustice Boycott began in the cities of Standing Rock, San Francisco, and New York City. The intention of this boycott is to give cities, along with their businesses, corporations, and federal governments, 43 days to meet the demands of local activists’ regarding police brutality. The first phase of this boycott was to announce its intentions. The second phase, which will begin on January 17, outlines the four actions the organizers of this boycott will take if those demands aren’t met:
1. Begin a full tourism boycott of those cities.
2. Begin a comprehensive divestment plan.
3. Announce a targeted national boycott of large corporations headquartered in those cities
4. Begin creatively disruptive protests in those cities.
It’s no secret money is where the power is. This protest intends to hurt wallets to get what they want. Not only that but, for these cities which pride themselves on being progressive, the local people are making a point to hold them accountable to those progressive claims.
"The Young Turks," an increasingly popular independent media organization, has begun fundraising to hire more investigate journalists. They recognize how our mainstream is failing us by choosing to ignore certain stories, or just continuing to promote and serve as the mouthpiece for the major corporations that own them.
Because they are independent, they aren’t censored by anyone, but that means they rely on the contributions of their viewers to keep them afloat. The funds they already raised were enough for them to get Jordan Chariton into Standing Rock, where he was one of only a handful of reporters trying to get the story out. "The Young Turks’" end goal is to ultimately be at the level of mainstream media while maintaining the desire to report anti-establishment news stories. People have already begun donating here to support the next big push to fund four investigative teams.
If neither of these is appealing, luckily John Oliver used his comedic platform to outline the groups that will require donations under Trump’s administration. He mentioned Planned Parenthood, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and plenty more. When it comes to fighting for social justice, it boils down to these three main components: we must continue to educate ourselves on what is going on; we must not just talk the talk, we must walk the walk; and if our finances allow it, we must put our money where our mouths are.
Around the 19th minute of Oliver’s overwhelmingly popular episode of "Last Week Tonight" on President-Elect Trump, he says, “We’re going to have to actively stand up for one another. And it can’t be just sounding off on the internet, or sharing think pieces or videos like this one that echo around your bubble. I’m talking about actual sacrifice to support people who are now under threat.”
In other words, 'tis the season to mobilize.
