Not everyone is a “get in the streets” and “get arrested” type of person, and it truly does take all kinds of people to make a movement function. If you’ve got some activist loved ones in your life, here are some things you can do for us that would be really appreciated right about now:
- Food! Make a big batch of soup or a casserole and bring it over. Make sure there’s veggies and protein in the mix. Activists often forget to feed ourselves when we’re in the thick of things, or else we eat a lot of nutritional bars on the run. Having reliable, healthy food is an amazing gift to us.
- Housework! Offer to do a household task like unloading the dishwasher, feeding the pets, or running a load of sheets and towels. It’s amazing how fast household tasks can go out the window during periods of heavy activity.
- Give us rides to actions! Finding parking near protests is a special kind of hell, and there are often creepy, intimidating, or outright abusive people who follow us back to our cars or on public transit. Having a trusted ride home from an action is a huge relief.
- Get sign making supplies! Buy us a fresh batch of sign making supplies. Go to an office supply store and get foam board, sharpies, and clear packing tape. Bonus points if you stop by a hardware store and ask for as many free paint stirring sticks as they’ll give you.
- Do your own emotional labor! Don’t ask us what you should do or unload your feelings about the current climate on us. We’re stressed out and exhausted enough as it is as it is. Instead, head over to Indivisible.org and the Poor People’s Campaign to find out who you should be calling and what you should be saying. Then find some other loved ones to process your feelings with.
BONUS ROUND: Ask yourself what step you are willing to take that you wouldn’t normally take because we are in an emergency. This could be something as simple as making a phone call to lawmakers and encouraging your friends – especially those in Republican-held districts and states – to do the same. It might be going to your first protest or rally. It might be hosting a fundraiser for your loved one’s group or project, or making a donation of any size to an organization you know they care about.
