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defiance-1948023_1280I wrote the following list in 5 minutes, no more, no less, to show how many ways there are to resist and support resistance.

I wrote it because I know people who are feeling defeated, paralyzed by shock or depression or anger or sadness or terror and either don’t know what to do or don’t believe that anything they can do will actually help. I wrote it because my personal experience has been that taking action helps defeat those negative feelings. I wrote it because we can’t fight amongst ourselves about what actions are better than what other actions. The only bad action is no action, in my opinion.

My list is by no means complete; it’s just what I could do in 5 minutes:

  • March.
  • Protest.
  • Demonstrate. All of the first three on this list are about making your body and spirit visible to those who would ignore and silence you.
  • Help plan the above events.
  • Call your reps.
  • Write to your reps. Find House reps here and Senate reps here.
  • Sign and circulate petitions.
  • Host calling and letter-writing parties.
  • Attend calling and letter-writing parties.
  • Advertise calling and letter-writing parties.
  • Provide food for calling and letter-writing parties (i.e., nourish the resistance).
  • Babysit for people who want to go to these events. (i.e., thanks, Mom and Dad!)
  • Subscribe to activist newsletters (I like Common Dreams) to get reputable news stories delivered to your email daily so you can keep yourself informed.
  • Circulate reputable news stories to keep others informed and fight this fake news which, ahem, largely comes from the Oval Office.
  • Circulate examples and instances of others’ resistance to publicize all the ways people are taking a stand. It not only boosts morale, but it might inspire you or people you know to replicate the actions of others.
  • Learn more about the proposed legislation that doesn’t directly affect you, and about the lives of the people who are directly affected, and devote some energy in those areas. Read the blogs and news articles of people who don’t look like you.
  • Sign up for email updates from 10 Actions/100 Days, and try to complete each of the 10 actions.
  • Sign up for a weekly email update from 5 Calls (I’m new to this and haven’t gotten an email yet, but the gist is to make five calls per day to your reps, and the weekly email from 5 Calls offers tips and scripts, from what I understand. I’ll give more info when I have it firsthand).
  • Download the Indivisible guide, read it, understand it, and practice it.
  • Make art.
  • Support artists.
  • Check in with those who are doing this work.
  • Come up with a plan for manageable daily action and stick to it. Maybe you can do 15 minutes per day during the week but more on the weekends? Making a plan will empower you and also set limits so you don’t burn out.
  • Take care of yourself so you don’t burn out.
  • Take care of others so they don’t burn out.

Your turn–what did I miss? Help me add to this list!