Get up Stand Up

     I've thought about the difference between staying calm and calming down. The difference is huge. Being calm means having rationality and the foresight to choose words and actions wisely, so that they support that for which I am fighting.

     Calming down means accepting that things are "okay" or "normal" when clearly they are not. The fact that Mr. Trump was elected president DESPITE the fact that he makes ludicrous xenophobic, misogynist, bigoted statements is indicative of a problem. While I choose to remain ever the optimist, please don't confuse my happy attitude with complacency.

Stand up for your rights.

     I will continue to speak out and speak against any policies or statements made that are harmful to any person or their beliefs. I will align myself with those who believe that human kind and the environment are too precious to hurt or destroy. I know that this has always been a constant fight. That will not change, except that it is now a more difficult and arduous task.
     If you haven't, you should check this video out from  John Oliver. John Oliver on the Election
He says something that should be posted up in a place we come in contact with every day: "This is not okay," and most importantly, he reminds us that we need to actively stand up for each other and make actual sacrifices to help those who are under threat and need our help.
     I have felt admittedly hopeless since the election. But I know that hopelessness leads to the "calming down." It leads to the complacency that lets things happen instead of making things happen. It's the difference between being passive and being active. I know that as a white woman in this society I don't have all of the privilege of my male counterparts, but that I do have privilege and I will use it for good. I will use it to be a friend, an ally, and (if needed) a protector. I am willing to make those sacrifices, because this is NOT okay.

Don't give up the fight.

Below is the list of links that Mr. Oliver discussed. Consider donating your time, talents, and treasures to them as you are able. They need it now more than ever.

Planned Parenthood
Women's Center for Reproductive Rights
National Resource Defense Council
International Refugee Assistance Project
Amnesty International
NAACP Defense Fund
Mexican American Legal Defense Fund
The Trevor Project for LBGTQ Youth