Taking Action Post-Election
It may feel like history is repeating itself, but history has two sides.
To be clear, I was going to make this post either way. Had Kamala Harris been elected, we had work to put in. Now, we just have a bit more work to do. To be clear, yes, I am anti-Trump. But, no, I am not necessarily pro-Harris nor am I anti-Republican. More on this later. You can read more from political scientists about how Trump has and still is driving a wedge between us in this country and will not be a catalyst for progress. He is a catalyst for division.
As a woman, I am scared. As an environmentalist, I am scared. As an avid hiker and backpacker, I am scared. It’s okay to be scared.
But, as a veteran, I am appalled at how far we are falling into fascism. I am appalled at how much our politicians love war, both sides. Trump is not anti-war, don’t let him fool you.
Let us take this rage, this despair, this tiredness, and let it radicalize us, motivate us, and drive us. Not just over the next four years, either, we have work to do under left-leaning administrations, too.
This hope is not going to happen to you overnight. We are allowed to mourn and grieve the future we could’ve had, but we must be hopeful that we still can have that future (god, I hope this post ages well) it just might take a bit longer. You are allowed to take breaks and rest, but please come back when you’re ready. We will be waiting for you. We need as many voices for change and progress as we can get.
So, here are some action steps that I personally will be taking post-election. Many of these were already on my list no matter the outcome. I hope these steps inspire you to stay involved, get educated, and do your own forms of activism.
First, get educated and stay educated
Did you know around 50% of Americans have a literacy rate at the 6th-grade level or below? I think a big reason for this is that reading is hardly taught in schools and also that people rarely pick up a book once they are done with school. But, you do not need to go to school to stay educated.
Another reason that reading is so important is that it teaches us about other lived experiences. I will never know what it’s like to be a black woman but now that I’ve read Eloquent Rage, I have a better understanding of that experience. I will never know what it’s like to be Indigenous, but now that I’ve read Braiding Sweetgrass I have a better understanding. You get the idea. I think this is even more important for those who live in homogenous areas and you do not interact with people outside of your shared race, age, and gender all that often.
Here is a list of political, environmental, and social justice books I’ve read that really altered my own activism and education:
Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer
Eloquent Rage, Brittney Cooper
The Women of NOW, Katherine Turk
Hood Feminism, Mikki Kendall
Generation Dread, Britt Wray
Let This Radicalize You, Kelly E. Hayes and Mariame Kaba
Night in the American Village, Akemi Johnson
It’s OK to be Angry About Capitalism, Bernie Sanders
When Crack was King, Donovan X Ramsey
Jesus and John Wayne, Kristin Kobes Du Mez
Freedom is a Constant Struggle, Angela Davis
Fur Trade Nation, Carl Gawboy
The Intersectional Environmentalist, Leah Thomas
Cobalt Red, Siddharth Kara
The 100 Years War on Palestine, Rashid Khalidi
Check out my reviews here. Please support your independent bookstores and local libraries!!
But, you can get educated in other ways such as documentaries, podcasts, and new sources. Always check for validity and credibility. It’s important to consume media from all different sides and perspectives, but please make sure the source is reliable.
Get politically involved
So, you voted for President, now what? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE vote in all elections. Your smaller elections are just as important, perhaps even more important than voting for president since the president is determined by the electoral college. Vote for your senators, congressmen, mayors, governors, etc. And don’t forget to vote in the primary elections, too, which take place during the spring, and determine who is on your November ballot.
Don’t forget to vote for measures in your state, too! For example, this election cycle, 10 states had abortion rights on their ballots, 2 states voted for the minimum wage, my home county in Ohio had a measure for library funding, etc. The November elections are much more than voting between two people for the highest office. These measures will affect your day-to-day life much more than whoever is in the Oval Office. Vote!!
After you get folks in office, it’s time to contact them. Whether you elected them or not, they are now your public servant. They are serving this country and they are serving you, their, constituent. Call them, write to them, email them, just generally pester them! Will this work if you’re the only one? Maybe…but it’s more impactful with numbers. Encourage others to do the same about issues you all are passionate about. You can learn more here about how to find your elected officials and watch this video to learn some tips for writing effective letters.
It’s time to get serious about signing petitions, yes they work! But, they work best with big numbers. So, sign petitions and spread the word. We had to work hard during Trump’s first term (gosh, Biden’s too) in office to combat his anti-environmental work and much of our work paid off.
Maybe you even want to take the biggest leap and run for office, go for it! We need people who care about the planet in office, even small city offices. We need people who care about women in office. We need more minority voices in power.
At the end of the day, politics affects us all unless you are a white, Christian, cisgender, straight, white man. Stay informed and take action for your future.
Stay aware
Watch the news. Yes, even those of you who it might cause anxiety to. It’s a privilege to look away. While I do consume current event news, I will admit I was terrible about keeping up to date with the US political scene until mid-October of this year.
Pay attention to when your local elections are, research who is on your ballot before you arrive to vote, and keep up to date on the candidates. I’m not saying you have to live and breathe politics now, but once a day read a couple of headlines and dive into a quick article or two to see what’s going on, what’s shaping the political landscape, what this new administration is up to, and so forth.
Here are some general news agencies that are unbiased and truly news (ps, Fox News is not news, they classify themselves as entertainment):
The Associated Press
Arkansas Democratic Gazette
The Hill
AllSides News
Build community
Our system has done a perfect job at separating us left from right but also separating us within party boundaries. The MAGA crowd hates other Republicans and leftists usually hate traditional Democrats.
Now, I’ll be honest, there are some people who I do not feel safe around because of their beliefs, but 95% of the time, we have much more in common than they want us to think. I think we can find a middle ground on a lot of things. I think we can learn to compromise in order to make change happen.
But, we’ve been isolated for far too long, especially in the digital, post-covid age. We need each other.
So, check up on your friends, especially those who are going to be hit hardest by this extreme administration.
Volunteer for a cause that means the most to you and help people during these times. Volunteer for an outdoor organization that works in conservation, a mutual aid program in your city, social justice organizations, and so forth. Find a cause that speaks to you and do some research. I’ll bet it already exists. If it doesn’t, be the one to start it.
While we’re on this topic, listen to the black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities during this time. They have been fighting oppression the longest. They have the tools, the knowledge, the resources, and the community already established. Listen and learn. Join their already existing fights.
And, please, be willing to let outsiders in. Make space for those who voted for Trump and maybe regret it. Perhaps they didn’t know he would be bad news for the environment, let them in. It is okay to admit when we are wrong. I think a big reason many of us don’t like to admit it is because of backlash. I see this on both sides. I think if we allow people to change their minds and hearts and accept them into the movement, they are much more willing to admit that they made a mistake. The only other option here is this fear of retribution which may push them farther and farther right. Not everyone who voted for Trump is an extremist.
This leads us to my next point…
Educate others
I know a majority of you reading this already believe in climate change and probably voted for Kamala Harris or Jill Stein. Probably most of your inner circle did, too. That is not your target audience. Of course, share resources with your friends and keep them up to date, but this is a larger call to action that may be a bit uncomfortable: educate and converse with centrists and Trump supporters.
I’ll be the first to say, I’m probably not going to have conversations with die-hard MAGA folks. They simply do not believe in climate change or, quite frankly, that I am even a human because of my gender. My target audience is going to be folks who voted for Trump because of his promise for tariffs but they just didn’t know what tariffs are. My target audience is going to be centrists who perhaps didn’t even vote. I will talk to environmentalists who voted for Trump and maybe just don’t quite understand how bad he and the far right are for the planet.
Why am I doing this? I was once right-leaning. I grew up conservative, it was all I knew because it was all that I was fed and taught. So many of my family members are the same. They have never left Ohio and have never interacted with folks who are not white, straight, middle-class, small town folks. I think the biggest fuelers for hate are a lack of empathy and ignorance. You can’t make someone empathetic but you can educate them.
There is a key here: kindness. Don’t show up to Thanksgiving guns blazing with the goal of just owning people with gotcha moments. I’ve been learning a lot about debate and having productive conversations from watching Jubilee on YouTube. I particularly liked this video with Pete Buttigieg. Many folks disagreed but they were kind, open-minded, and willing to listen. But, you can tell with some of the other debates that folks arrive strictly to win an argument and nothing gets accomplished. The goal here is not to win an argument, but to come to an understanding and hopefully educate others.
Of course, this street does have to go both ways. If the people in your life are not willing to actually hear you, it’s going to be hard. I truly think it’s so important to set that stage, though, and bring the good energy. If you show up to these conversations with an open mind, heart, and willingness to hear them, too, they will hopefully reciprocate.
Don’t just talk at them, hear them, too. You will likely learn that you have so much in common with one another.
And take your time. We have two years until the Senate election and four years til the presidential one. This does not have to take place right this second and conclusions do not have to be drawn immediately. Have these conversations over the next few years as events unfold. Take what you learn and spread the word.
Stay hopeful
It’s easier said than done, I know. Yes, it’s still fresh, but the last few mornings I’ve woken up somber, cried a bit, but by lunch time I’m ready to use that sadness for good.
There is also such a thing as toxic positivity that I simply do not subscribe to. It’s okay to feel your feelings. It’s not okay to brush off your sadness cause “someone else somewhere else has it worse.” Yeah, that’s a fact, but it’s also a fact that you’re sad. It’s okay to be sad!
I think sadness and hopefulness can go hand in hand. You can acknowledge the darkness but see the silver lining.
But, we cannot let the despair win. They want us to feel hopeless and divided, but hope is what fuels us. It’s what fuels change and progress.
We have unfortunately been here before. We know what to expect with this administration.
I think the biggest part to staying hopeful for me is finding my “why.” Why do I fight for the planet? Why do I fight for women’s rights? It’s going to look a bit different for us all, but remember why you’re here on my page learning about this. Remember why you started using your reusable water bottle and lessening your own carbon footprint.
Let that fuel you, too.
Celebrate the wins as they come
While it is important to know about the negative things happening, we must take our wins when we get them and celebrate them. The climate movement is not won in a day! Look how far we’ve come since the first Earth Day in 1970…so far! Yes, we have much farther to go, but look where we started. Every little win for the planet and our own rights counts.
Here are a few small wins to celebrate from this election cycle and I will do better to share small eco wins on my pages, too:
The first out transgender person was elected to Congress
For the first time, two black women will serve in the Senate at the same time
The first Korean-American was elected to the senate
7/10 states with abortion on their ballots voted YES to keep abortion rights in their states
Alaska and Missouri voted to raise the minimum wage
Washington and Texas elected their first out LBGTQ+ congresspeople
And celebrate the wins in your own life. Perhaps today you were less sad than yesterday, that’s a win! Maybe the sun is shining and it’s your perfect weather, that’s a win! I’m celebrating getting into school, making friends in our new town, and our little family.
We have to keep the joy in our lives. Even in the darkest times, hope and joy is what keeps us going. Joy is a form of resistance.
Here’s my plan
The future of TSE drastically changed on Wednesday morning. Yes, I was going to change tactics no matter who won, but I have even more work to do now.
First, I’m getting political. I used to be the voting rep for my last unit in the Air Force. I would research elections for different states and send that info out to my unit. I will be doing the same for you all as well. Stay tuned on my Instagram stories or my newly formed Instagram Channel for action items where I will remind you of every single election as I can. As I emphasized earlier, it is way too important to skip ANY elections.
I will continue to share my lil eco tips, but that will no longer be my main focus. I will never downplay the need for individual action, it has a place, but we do need to go bigger. I am going to work on a mix of content from individual tips to larger community action to political action. I am excited to see where this takes me.
I am going to stay up to date on current events and in the political space. I am also going to stay educated. I have many books on my “to be read” pile that are about politics and environmental science and feminism and much more. Follow me on Bookstagram for more recommendations.
I am voting in all elections!!!
I am going to stay up to date on the policies this administration puts up and share any relevant information such as press releases, infographics, petitions, and other calls to action.
And, I’m going to rest. We cannot let ourselves get to the place of burn-out, it’s so hard to come back from that. Especially as I start school in January, I will not be afraid to pull back from making content. I will continue to partake in my hobbies and bring joy into my life. It’s easy to fall into despair, but we have to do our best not to. Hang out with friends, read a silly lil fiction book, take a walk, sit in the park or the beach, bake some cookies, cuddle your pets, whatever you have to do to keep a smile on your face and keep going. I will do the same.
This is just the beginning of this chapter. We will overcome. We have to.
And, this is just the beginning of our activism. I am sure I will implement more into my daily life such as boycotting certain billionaires (cough, cough, Elon Musk) and companies and will share more as I continue to educate myself.
I hope this leaves you inspired. Please remember, it’s okay to feel all of your feelings. If you are feeling more than one at a time, that does not invalidate either of them. I often feel both despair and hope every single day. That’s okay. And remember to be empathetic. We need more of that in this world.
Remember: joy is resistance, hope is resistance, self-care is resistance. We pick up this baton from our grandmothers who fought for us to get here in the first place. We work alongside our BIPOC brothers and sisters who have been fighting these fights way longer than we have (yeah, I’m late to the game, but better late than never).
I could keep going, but I will leave you with my classic phrase: our small actions make a big difference, don’t forget it.
Emma
