Things We Can Do

Perhaps we need a Jango face today.

It's been really easy to get caught up in despair about, well, everything from racism and sexism to politics and paying the bills; but in the end that despair can be either a distraction or a catalyst. If you choose the latter, you realize that while you really have no control over the whole system, you DO have control of your daily actions and attitudes. True change has to happen--really can only happen--on a local level; there is no person that can change the whole system with the passage of a bill or a moving speech or whatever. We've got to get our heads focused on the community and people around us if we want to see positive things happen. Here's a checklist of things that we can all do to empower ourselves and our communities:

1) Shop locally; support small businesses, local artists, and farmers. If you spend money in your community, that money benefits your community and not some massive corporate a-holes that don't care about you.

2) Call out racism and sexism when you see it or hear it. We are just as guilty as the perpetrators if we allow this garbage to happen without doing something about it.

3) Support progressive local political campaigns. Guess what? In a borough that nearly unanimously voted for Trump, we just elected a Democrat with dark skin as our mayor, as well as a few young and/or awesome candidates for Borough Council.

4) Volunteer. Spend time giving back to your community through service. Come out to the Community Garden next week and help us dig potatoes for low-income families, volunteer at the Soup Kitchen, after school programs, church initiatives, etc. Everyone has skills and/or resources that they can share with others.

5) Vote with your dollars. Divest from corporate banks that support things that ultimately destroy us. Invest, if you can, in renewable energy, more fuel-efficient vehicles (better yet, public transportation!), and small businesses. Everything you buy, you support. Every dollar spent should be a weight on your conscience.

6) Support people who are standing up for their rights and their land! Most protestors are not violent and are pissed off for a good reason. If we don't stand up for what we believe in, then we've already lost the battle. Support Camp White Pine, for example, in their fight against Big Oil, who is stealing their land for private profit. (If you think that pipelines are beneficial to people and our planet, do some research.)

7) Learn how to be more self-sufficient. It's empowering and will save you money that you won't have to slave away for. Plant a garden, learn how to fix things, build your own structures, learn how to make stuff, and use reclaimed materials. It's amazing what you can find for free that is completely useful.

8) Educate yourself. Stop listening to corporate media and the embedded beliefs of those around you. Think for yourself and learn how to find good, peer-reviewed information. Don't be a sheep!

9) Stay focused and remain positive! Despair is what the powers-that-be want. We've got to be willing to do some work in order to see things happen, but with some effort and positive action we can change our communities for the better, and, ultimately, the world.

Good luck!