America, WTF??
I'm not sure I had a clear picture of what the future would look like when I was a kid, but it sure wasn't the reality we're living in right now. It blows my mind how backward this country is going; headed down a dangerous path and it should be a wake-up call for everyone.
The Supreme Court's rulings this month (June 2022) have been one gut punch after the other; rolling back decades of progress will devastatingly impact so many people. The hypocrisy and lack of care for other human beings in this country are mind-boggling, but I guess these actions shouldn't be given this country's founding. For decades, attorneys, activists, and politicians (Hilary Clinton tried to warn us) have been sounding the alarm. If folks haven’t been paying attention before, I sure hope they are now because what is happening now will impact us for decades.
There's so much more I could say, but I'll just say this:
We can't go backward.
It's easy to feel hopeless, that's how they want us to feel. If we're too hopeless, we won't put up a fight. Similar to 2020, each of our responses doesn't have to be the same.
So what are some things that we can do?
1. Check out this Twitter thread by Lindsey Simmons who talks about the power of our voice and what using our voice looks like.
2. Make sure you are registered to vote and research the candidates running in your state and county. What is their agenda? If they are running for re-election, what bills have they drafted, voted for or against? Learn whether or not you live in a swing state or district. Donate to those running for office that will protect our rights. And please participate in every election, especially those on the local level.
3. Have discussions with family and friends. Are there people in your life who haven't voted in the past? Encourage them to get involved.
4. Apply pressure now to your senator and representatives. We don't have to wait until a midterm election to demand that those who are in office get to work. Call or email your senator and representative to act. We know every bill won’t get enough votes. They will receive resistance from their colleagues, but we need to know that they hear from their constituents and are working on our behalf. Jamelle Bouie laid out things Congress can do in response to this rogue Supreme Court in the New York Times. It’s worth a read here.
5. Donate to organizations that support those most impacted by the recent rulings (i.e National Network of Abortion Funds, Everytown for Gun Safety, Innocence Project, etc.) or organizations that fight daily to defend our rights (i.e ACLU and Legal Defense Fund).
6. Research and share information. We live in a digital age where it's much faster to obtain and share information. Fact check the information you find online and then share it on social media and in your circles that will be informative and helpful to your circle and online community.
We must learn from our past; we're all going to have to do our part in whatever way we can to make our voices heard and provide pushback to the dangerous track that we're on because we can't go back.
"Social change comes from PRESSURE and NOT CIVILITY. It's how most of us got the right to vote in the first place."
- Brodie Reed
