If you’re looking for ways to become more politically active but aren’t sure where to start, this is for you. Here, I’ve gathered some of the resources that I have personally found most helpful. This post is a work-in-progress, which I will continue to update. Suggestions are always welcome.
Resources for effectively talking to your conservative friends about the dangers of a Trump presidency:
- Keith Olbermann’s noncombative, nonjudgmental video message (intended for those who still support Trump) is a good place to start.
- How to Talk to Your Loved Ones About a Donald Trump Presidency
- A comprehensive, essential guide on strategies for having productive conversations with loved ones (without becoming emotionally drained). Ever since encountering it, I’ve used this guide to inform my approach to all political conversations, and have found it to be highly effective in getting through to others with different views.
- Speak Up: Responding to Everyday Bigotry (via Southern Poverty Law Center):
- Concrete suggestions on how to handle bigotry in the workplace, dealing with joking in-laws, addressing your own biases, and so much more.
- The Ferguson Masterpost: How to Argue Eloquently and Back Yourself Up With Facts
- A fantastic resource for tips on how to have productive conversations about race issues, protests, social justice movements, and systems of oppression that is as relevant today as ever: “We feel it’s critical to have conversations about social justice loudly, noticeably, personally as well as systemically, and eloquently […] To do this, we need tools, scripts, data—means of having and supporting these conversations, as well as our communities.”
- Captain Awkward’s Post-Election Guide to Changing Hearts and Minds
Resources for learning about social justice issues/ so you want to be an ally:
- Curriculum for White Americans to Educate Themselves on Race and Racism–from Ferguson to Charleston
- 9 YouTube channels that will make you smarter about social justice (via Mashable)
- Opportunities for White People in the Fight for Racial Justice
- The Abolitionist Toolkit
Resources for finding and calling your representatives:
- The Sixty Five: Calling scripts for over a dozen issues (and contact information for your representatives), as well as weekly calls to action.
- 5Calls gives you contact information and scripts, so calling is easy.
- How to Call Your Reps When You Have Social Anxiety
- Countable: “Get clear, concise summaries of bills going through Congress, see what others think, then take action. Telling your reps how you feel is easier than ever with email and now video messages”
Other ways to take action:
- Action Against Trump: Calls to action, more resources (including many of the ones mentioned here), survival guides, and much, much more.
- Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda: Former congressional staffers reveal best practices for making Congress listen
- Trump Syllabus 2.0: This incredibly comprehensive free course “interrogates the connections between wealth, violence, and politics.”
- 10 Actions, 100 Days
- Learn how to write and publish letters to the editor.
- Find and join a chapter of Black Lives Matter
- 8 Ways to Meaningfully Support Social Justice Movements (via Mashable)
- 10 Suggested Action Items via the Equal Justice Initiative
- Know your rights (via the ACLU)
- Vote with your wallet and boycott the companies that do business with the Trump family or sell Trump products
- RageDonate for a good cause.
- Lastly, protect yourself and the people around you.
Resources for identifying fake news websites:
- A thorough list of false, misleading, or “satirical” news sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10eA5-mCZLSS4MQY5QGb5ewC3VAL6pLkT53V_81ZyitM/mobilebasic
Header image via ThinkProgress.Org.
