Where Can I Make a Difference, Now?

My friends and I are not “ladies who lunch” but rather “ladies who march.” I am an attorney by training, an activist by nature and former director of various local and national organizations, focusing on the rights of women, families and girls, recently focusing on anti-poverty and human rights strategies. Like many other seasoned activists, I’m deciding how I would make a difference during this very turbulent and unchartered time. The choices each of us will make will be based on our passion, skill set, and comfort and resource level (time and otherwise). Since November I have been asking myself some questions:

What issues do I care most about? Poverty, anti-racism work; gender and sexual orientation rights; voting access and rights; free speech; due process; religious rights and protections; the arts, education, human rights, immigration—the list is long.

What are the strategies that feel to me of greatest importance and feel like the right fit? Organizing? Election work (whether increasing voter rights or getting out the vote)? Litigation? Affecting public opinion media, messaging and the arts? Working directly with individuals who are being affected by the policies?

What identity do I want to bring to this work? My gender, sexual orientation, race, age, class, religion, ability?

Do I see myself as an activist, a donor and/or a witness?

How do I enjoy working? Alone, in a group, at home or out with others? This can range from letter writing, making phone calls and signing petitions to marching, visiting elected officials, volunteering to work on legal programs, human needs, literacy, food banks, political campaigns, etc.

Do I want to focus on local, state, regional, national/international issues right now? In my mind no one answer to these questions is “better” than any other. What is key is to be engaged, to continue to stand up for the values we hold dear and do all we can to constantly reject the idea that the behavior of this administration and its allies is normal.