I don't watch Election Night coverage, so I woke up Wednesday morning, checked my phone, said, "Jesus!" and got up.
Wednesday's an anchor day for my department, and it didn't occur to me to WFH, but I was aware that the moving my body of biking to work would probably be good for me.
Most of the day I felt numb and kind of tired. I already felt like I didn't have the energy for all the stuff I wanted to be doing. I don't wanna have to do this again -- and I have so much privilege that I was largely protected last time (and will be again), even as I know it's gonna be so much worse this time and so my engagement is even more necessary.
A coworker reserved a conference room to have a space for queer staff over lunchtime. I wasn't sure how much I wanted to be in groups of people. I sat outside for a half an hour in the unreasonably warm sun and ate my lunch and then headed inside, feeling fortified by having eaten some food and gotten some sunshine. It was a small group of people I already know and like, and it generally felt good to be there.
That night, my church hosted a dinner and worship service. Once again, not something I felt like I needed or was actively seeking, but it felt generally good to be there.
Thursday I started reaching out to other people to check in. Wednesday I could barely bring myself to do so, and was mostly not on social media.
It's now Friday and I'm starting to feel back to normal -- which is scary in a way, because complacency is so easy to slip into (especially since I'm so shielded by privilege).
The looming prospect of 4 more years of 2016-2020 (only turbocharged) feels so big and overwhelming. There's been a lot about focusing on building networks/community/capacity locally -- plugging into orgs that already exist, not spreading yourself too thin (there will always be more to do than you can do). One of the things I can do fairly consistently is give money, and I'm reminding myself to live into my belief that just giving money to people in need is valuable and often the most effective. (Obviously systems are also important, and in the absence of the government doing that work, giving money to the private sector can often be valuable -- though pressuring the government to provide/improve services is also important in tandem.) The Queer Exchange Boston FB group is always filled with posts asking for money, which tends to feel overwhelming to me, but I can give to one person/day.
Every time something Big happens, some folks post
reminders that the Big Orgs (Planned Parenthood, ACLU, etc.) get lots of money and there are tons of local orgs that do critical work and really struggle for funding. So in case it's helpful, I thought I'd share a list of some of the places I have recurring donations at (though some of them are definitely bigger orgs). Building this list, it occurs to me that I should probably find at least one trans rights focused organization.
Recurring donations -- even small ones -- are so helpful to organizations to be able to plan their work/budgets. A lot of places I give $18/month -- because of Jewish numerology (it means "life" and represents good luck and so Jews will often give gifts in multiples of 18) -- but places will appreciate even $5/month or $20/year or whatever you can give. (Recurring donations also take the mental load off of you -- it's work you're doing that you don't have to think about -- though okay, you do need to remember to include it in your budgeting.)
abortion [You can find lists of abortion funds on the Internet, e.g.
WRRAP's -- though because that list is aimed at people seeking abortion support, it lists multiple National organizations for each state, which is less helpful if you're trying to support a local org. I know Mariame Kaba has been uplifting the
Palmetto State Abortion Fund in South Carolina.]
voting- Fair Fight -- Stacey Abrams' Georgia-based nonprofit fighting voter suppression & protecting voting rights
- Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC) -- which helps formerly incarcerated persons in Florida regain their right to vote (after Florida's Amendment 4 passed in 2018, which removed the lifetime ban on voting for most people with past felony convictions, but whose implementation has really been hampered)
Palestinemutual aid- MAMAS (Mutual Aid Medford and Somerville)
- Whose Corner Is It Anyway -- "Whose Corner Is It Anyway is a Western MA mutual aid, harm reduction, political education, and organizing group led by stimulant and opioid using low-income, survival, or street-based sex workers, founded in 2017. All members are current or former low income sex working cis or trans women or gender diverse people. All members either use/have used stimulants and/or opioids, are/have been homeless, or work/ have worked outside."
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