Most of us don’t feel prepared to join a movement, much less start one. But it’s not as hard as you think. Doing small things together is how movements start — and grow into the force we want to become.
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One of the biggest problems of organizing is that people think they can’t do it. I, too, do not know “How to Organize.” Remember, though, the core of organizing is getting people to do stuff. It’s as simple as that. And that means you can do it. Take it at your pace. Talk to your friends. Meet with them. By doing small things when and where we can, and helping our friends do the same, we can take our passion and point it in a cohesive way toward a better future.
Here’s a weekly list to help you.
1) Help friends in need.
Sometimes it’s not money people need, but resources. People can’t help their community if they can’t help themselves. A friend in another state can’t find permanent housing,and, as a result, it’s hard for her kids to get to school, and there is little to no compassionate safety net for these scenarios.
In such cases, there is always inherent victim blaming. As if someone purposefully made poor choices to get into that situation or, worse, they are too ignorant/sinful/selfish/lazy to get out of it. But the truth is, it’s a surprisingly short step from an unpaid traffic ticket to a suspended license to an arrest for driving to work without a license to a permanent record. For those of us who have the $200 to pay the ticket, no big deal. For those who don’t, the whole ordeal will eventually cost thousands of dollars that they don’t have.
So, I helped a friend as best I could with researching some options in her area, getting her contact information for various agencies, and step-by-step advice on how to move forward. It’s not a panacea, but it’s a start. Sometimes, just having someone in your corner is enough to help you get through.
2) Sign the American Civil Liberty Union petition to free Mahmoud Khalil.
Mahmoud Khalil holds a green card. He is a lawful permanent resident of the United States. His wife is an American citizen. He is not an undocumented immigrant. He has committed no crime. The Trump administration is using his status as an activist at Columbia University as the basis for his arrest, detainment, and possible deportation. This is illegal. The First Amendment means that the government cannot retaliate against any individual for their speech or beliefs. The American Civil Liberties Union is working on this case. They are 4,000 signatures shy of the 100,000 they are looking for on this petition. Sign here. Free Mahmoud Khalil, and strike a blow for freedom of speech in America.
3) Drop off food at a local pantry.
Do you know where the food drop-off points are in your town or city? Most communities have them. They can be pantries where you walk in and hand over your food, distribution houses that deliver to those pantries, thrift stores, or churches. In my city, we have several conveniently located drop boxes. When I go grocery shopping, I will drop some of my two-for-one deals in the box. It’s often empty, so any little bit you can put in a box can help. Plus, people can take it as they need it, with no judgment, no red tape. When someone needs food, they can check the box and it is nobody’s business. They can eat shame-free.
4) Listen to expert panels to expand your base of knowledge.
I went to an online lecture presented by the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonprofit law and public policy institute. Nearly 2,000 people joined their YouTube channel for the livestream meeting, entitled A Presidential Lawbreaking Spree. Since then, more than 16,000 people have watched the recording. Here are the highlights I gleaned from the experts who spoke:
- The proposed (and trickily named) Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act is actually designed to suppress voting, especially in electoral districts that usually vote for Democrats.
- Elon Musk is a government employee who is currently not subject to the rules of conduct that go with government employment.
- The two main laws Trump threatened to invoke to “control” immigration date back to the 1700s. The last time one was used was in World War II to allow the government to put Japanese nationals (most of whom were US citizens) into internment camps. To invoke this law, an actual military invasion of our country needs to be occurring or threatened – not an influx of immigrant families trying to cross the border.
- Speaking your mind to your Congressional representatives does make a difference. They are acting the way they act because they think more voters want it than don’t. Phone calls have more impact than emails, but every communication stating your views as a voter matters.
- Tell people’s stories. If you know someone who has been fired by Musk’s DOGE, talk about it. Bring the effects into the open in your social circles. Make it about people.
- In trying to understand why Trump and Musk do what they do, follow the money. Massive government contracts and huge campaign contributions are usually in the mix.
- The last time a president tried to infringe on our rights this intrusively was after 9/11, with the 2001 Patriot Act.
Conclusion: Ours is a Constitutional government of checks and balances. No one person runs the country, and even the president doesn’t run the government single-handedly. And no one in the United States is above the law. No one.
5) Boycott Target for the next month.
After a day-long general boycott on February 28 reduced web traffic and cut into sales for top retailers, activists organized a 40-day boycott of Target, to coincide with Lent. The store is feeling it already. People are angry at Target for actively promoting DEI and Pride initiatives when it benefited them, and then immediately rolling back these measures when the Trump White House denounced them. Supporters of Target who thought the corporation had some inherent values were blindsided.
The one-day boycott cost Target $12.4 billion in market value and an 11 percent drop in in-store visitors, and even more in web and app traffic. Numbers for the 40-day action aren’t in yet, of course, but if you haven’t already, now is a great time to stop shopping at Target for the next couple of weeks.
6) Call the Department of Interior to reinstate park rangers.
Our national parks are in danger, and understaffing has already led to long lines and reduced hours of operation. Not to mention thousands of people losing their jobs.
Call the Department of the Interior to ask that they reinstate their fired and laid-off workers. I followed the script below but not verbatim, preferring to recast it in my own words. I called the DOI six times in one day, but got hung up on every time I pressed 3 to talk to Secretary Doug Burgum’s office. So I finally pressed 2, and left a message for their press office, which is apparently still accepting voicemail.
Here’s the DOI phone number: 1-202-208-3100, press #3 to reach the Secretary’s office during business hours or press #2 for the press office (see my note above).
Script:
I’m calling to demand that you reinstate illegally-fired workers at the Department of the Interior. DOl employees are stewards of our public lands who work on behalf of the American people.
A federal court ruled the terminations illegal, and other agencies have already reversed course and reinstated their unlawfully-fired employees. DOl needs to do the same, especially as we head into the busiest time of year for public lands — they cannot afford to be critically understaffed.
Parks and public lands are important to me because… (list your own reasons here).
Our public lands are already suffering from these illegal terminations — please reinstate these dedicated public servants!
Thank you for your time.
7) Sign petitions. Sometimes they work!
This is a specific action that no longer needs to be performed but I wanted to share it because… it worked, and it’s a good model for other direct actions against corporate and government immoral practices.
I signed this petition to Spotify to have them remove Andrew Tate, a rabid misogynist, from their platform. Within a day, Andrew Tate was gone from Spotify.
Petitions to corporations sometimes get faster results than those to the government, but they all work on the same principle. Profit-making corporations and government officials pay attention to public sentiment, and they tailor their actions to what they believe people are thinking and feeling. If the math tells them to change course, they will do it. They live and die by dollar signs and the ballot box. So don’t be discouraged. The people “in charge” are listening.
At a time when Trumpist chaos and Musk’s wrecking-ball disruption seem overwhelming, remember that a grassroots resistance is taking shape. The only way to find solid ground right now is to do what you can, when you can, to fight back Together, in small ways, is how we begin to win.
Past weeks of “One Small Thing” can be found here.
