It has been a few months since nationwide protests erupted against police brutality. The notion of protesting is not really new, but a pandemic definitely added an additional cause of concern. I personally attended a rally with my family in a local suburb, and while I believed in the cause, I was also very concerned about the sheer amount of people I was in semi-close contact with. For those who are still out on the streets night after night, weekend after weekend, I commend your passion and pray you make it home safely and in good health. For those who are a bit wary of being in crowds, yet want to make a difference, I hope you find this post to be a valuable resource that you might share with others.
I want to be clear, protests are very important to the advancement of our causes when it comes to social justice, especially for black people. Many of us know someone who may have been involved in a sit-in or voter registration drive of the 1960s. While the Civil Rights Act passed, and we have seen many advancements in terms of opportunity for black people, there are still many offenses occurring in broad daylight than need to be corrected. With that said, here are some social justice actions that you can engage in at your leisure.
Vote
I cannot say this enough. Don’t just vote, vote often. When I first started voting, I typically voted in Presidential elections and didn’t pay attention to much else. After 2016, I became more intentional in staying aware of the politics that surround me from the local level to the state level to Washington. Hell, if they put up an election for a church mouse, I would be there. Unfortunately, I still have yet to find a platform that actively reminds me when elections in my area are occurring. I usually find out through local news sources like KERA. But when I am aware of an upcoming election, I also visit vote411.org which provides me with interviews of the candidates for my local ballot and allows me to do my research before entering the poll.
If you want to take it further, consider signing up to become a Volunteer Deputy Registrar. Not only will you able to help register people to vote (when it’s safe), but I came away learning a lot more about who can vote in my state and how they can get registered. For more information on how, I recommend visiting your state’s Secretary fo State website. That is also a great place to start if you need to register to vote yourself.
Call Local and State Officials
At the end of the day, local and state officials work for us. That’s why it’s so important to have your voice heard on issues that are important to you. Additionally, in cases of national importance like police brutality, it doesn’t take much to call the local officials of the victims to make your voice heard. Often, the pertinent numbers are not hard to find so you can leave a message in minutes.
Send Emails
Don’t like calling strangers? I get it. As a kid, I NEVER wanted to call pizza companies. Today I just happen to have delivery apps to save me from the chore of having to talk to strangers. Luckily, our friends at Black Lives Matter created a very intuitive email tool to begin a conversation. You can select multiple calls for justice as well as contact local municipalities to make your thoughts known to the local leaders. I will caveat this saying read through the templates and tweak to match your views. But it’s so easy you can do it during your favorite episode of Parks and Rec you’ve watched a zillion times. (Just me? oh.)
Sign a Petition
Here’s another thing that’s super duper easy. Petitions from platforms like change.org are a great way to bring media and decision-maker awareness to an issue and its impact. If you’re ready to get started, I recommend that you add your Jill Hancock to this Justice for Breonna Taylor petition. (Sorry, couldn’t help myself here.)
Overall, there are a myriad of ways to be an active participant in your community and beyond, without having to leave your COVID-free haven. I hope that you find something new that you’re willing to try with the information above. Have other ideas? Leave them in the comments below!
