During this election week, most – if not all – of us are experiencing feelings of restless, anxiety, and fear. We might be checking live updates of the poll results at every minute. We might be outraged at the number of people who still voted for Trump. We might be anxious about the potential threat on the lives of our loved ones after the election. And due to some of our professors’ lack of accommodations and endless assignments, we might be fighting to catch a breath.
Needless to say, being okay is nearly impossible right now.
While we recognize the importance and real consequences of national politics, we must also ground ourselves in the communities that have always been fighting this battle with resilience, strength, love, and support for one another. Regardless of who gets elected, Black, queer, undocumented, and low-income folks are still subject to state violence. The state has not – and will not – protect them. Throughout history, we have seen them lay the groundwork for radical visions of community-building and redistributions of resources. That is something we can always rely on. And, as scholar Dean Spade in Normal Life articulates, “Our demands for redistribution, access, and participation must be reflected in our resistance work every day – they can’t be something we come back for later.”
Here are a list of things that might help you get through this week:
Check out the upcoming events hosted by the AfAm House (credit: AfAm Newsletter)
Surround yourself with loved ones! Remember, joy is a form of resistance.
Some ways you can help people directly:
- Mutual aid: continue to donate to mutual aid funds for low-income, homeless, Black women and trans folk.
- Donate money directly to people in need rather than to organizations.
- Providing food:
- Cook and prep meals
- Deliver groceries
- Create hygiene care products
- Hand out menstruation products
- Volunteer at soup kitchens
- Draw wisdom and inspiration from texts by queer and Black activists.
Check out this compilation of meditations created by Black thinkers, artists, and activists.
Check out this playlist: Songs to Fill an Empty Head [Nintendo Music]
And lastly, enjoy these memes about Joe Biden’s tax brackets:
Jennifer Qu ’22
