We are undoubtedly living during a time of major civil unrest. Since the murder of George Floyd and other African-Americans at the hands of law enforcement, many have felt a call to justice to protest police brutality. There have been protests almost every day in every city across America for the past three months. Unfortunately, we are also living through one of the worst pandemics of the 21st century. This makes it a bit difficult for people to go out and protest when they could potentially contract a disease that has killed over 700,000 people worldwide. But you don’t have to go to a protest to fight for equality and justice. There are many ways that you can be a part of the movement from your home and create an impact.
USE SOCIAL MEDIA
The first way, is to let your voice be heard on social media. Social media has the ability to reach audiences across oceans. Take advantage of this opportunity! You should share articles, infographics, statistics, and stories whenever you can. Whether you have 300 or 3,000 friends on your friend’s list, you will already be reaching more people than had you not shared anything at all. Some people might not be good at articulating their own opinion, if that is the case for you, you can share a post that someone else has written that embodies your beliefs. There are a whole scope of ways that you can share your message on social media.
WRITE TO YOUR LOCAL LEGISLATORS
Writing social media posts is a good way to start, but to take it a step further, you should send emails, make calls, and write letters to your local legislators or congressmen. These people have been elected into their positions by the people and have a duty to create laws that reflect the wants of the people. That’s why it is important to let these individuals in particular know how you feel. Make sure that when you do reach out that you are:
1) Identifying what the issue is
2) Sharing your own experience
3) Supporting your argument with facts
Identifying the issue makes it clear why you have decided to reach out; adding a personal anecdote shows what’s happening has not only impacted the individuals involved in the incident but the community members as well; and supporting your argument with facts is one of the most basic rules to follow when making an argument. Doing these things will help your letter/call/email be taken more seriously than if it was based on your feelings alone. If legislators/congressmen receive enough calls from citizens who are genuinely concerned, they will be forced to reevaluate the current legislation.
CREATE POLITICAL ART
Another way that you can be an activist from home is by tapping into your creative side. You can invest your time and energy into creating paintings, writing poetry, choreographing dances, weaving looms, etc. to make a statement. Art and politics have always gone hand in hand and been used as a way to bring about revolutions. By sharing your artwork with the world, you can make an impact on others in a much more profound way. You can inspire people to speak up and become an activist as well. This option is also a healthy way to release any pent-up anger or distress you may feel regarding social injustice.
DONATE TO SOCIAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS
One of the most important ways that you can help the cause is by donating to social justice organizations. These organizations are dedicated to serving and supporting community members in their fight for equal rights. Below are a few organizations you should think about donating to.
The Equal Justice Initiative provides legal representation to people, usually those who are low-income and of the minority, who have been wrongly convicted of a crime.
The Bail Project is dedicated to providing bail to people who are in need. This includes the protestors have been arrested.
The Brennan Center for Justice’s goal is to maintain voting rights and election security. They also advocate for the abolishment of the Electoral College.
Go Vote!
Finally, the most important way that you can be an activist from home is making sure that you are registered to vote and that you vote in the 2020 Presidential Election. You can mail in your ballot if you don’t feel safe enough to go out and do so on election day. However, it has been advised that if you plan to vote by mail, you should mail it out 14 days before to ensure that it will reach the ballots in time.
Be sure that you continue to educate yourself everyday by keeping up with the news. We are making history every day!