I've mentioned before that I really like to set goals in life. I have New Year's Resolutions and birthday resolutions. I've got some Fulbright year resolutions (which I'm continuing to work towards this weekend as I go to visit friends in Valladolid!). And now, I've got some civics resolutions.
I expressed yesterday how afraid I was, but that how facing my fears fills me with more conviction in my actions. I gave a vague list of things that I was thinking about doing, but when it comes to goals, it's better to get specific, so here are my resolutions moving forward after this election:
1. I will donate 5%* of my income when I get back to the States to Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Center for Civics Engagement. America is already great because of the work that non-profits such as these do in fostering participation and extending equal rights to marginalized groups, and I want to make sure that they are supported in the work that they will need to do over these next four years, should a President 😡 start impinging on any rights.
2. I will vote in all elections (including local ones).
3. I will research the candidates beforehand to make sure that I understand their stances, their funding support, and their characters.
4. I will volunteer either as a poll worker or with RockTheVote to make sure that all who can vote are registered, and that all who are able to vote, can.
5. I will never refer to this President by name. He will be Mr. President, or President 😡. The fame of his name and the thrall of his celebrity allowed him to advance as far as he did, so to eliminate that thrall, he is forever re-signified in my writing. (Many may think of Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort, and while naming-to-tame is a strong and important lesson for children to learn, it is also important to learn to overcome-by-ignoring and to find the source of a bully's power and eliminate it).
6. I will speak up for the rights of those less fortunate than me. Loudly, forcibly, and constantly. I will let this election be a crucible of fire in forging me into an outspoken feminist killjoy (see https://feministkilljoys.com), and I will work hard to check my privilege so that those less fortunate than me see me as an ally and not as an adversary.
7. I will not make holidays hell on my family (this was actually going the other way, given the outspoken feminist killjoy bit from earlier). Even as I speak up for the rights of others, I will strive to listen to what those I disagree with are saying, and to understand their point of view. I need to understand the structures around their rationality in order to break the mindset that would justify voting for 😡.
8. I will practice embodiment, empathy and proper boundary-setting in these conversations, both to protect my humanity and that of my interlocutor.
9. I will practice self-care as a form of radical politics. To quote Audre Lord: "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation and that is an act of political warfare."
10. I will do my work. This election has proven to me that my research is pertinent, and more important than ever. All celebrities tell us about ourselves and serve as signs of the societies we want to forge. 25% of Americans chose this celebrity and this society. 75% did not.
11. I will encourage those around me to make similar lists. The earth has shattered. It's time to rebuild.
*As a graduate student on a pretty limited income, it won't be much money. Once I get a real job, I aim to bump that up to 10%.
I expressed yesterday how afraid I was, but that how facing my fears fills me with more conviction in my actions. I gave a vague list of things that I was thinking about doing, but when it comes to goals, it's better to get specific, so here are my resolutions moving forward after this election:
1. I will donate 5%* of my income when I get back to the States to Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Center for Civics Engagement. America is already great because of the work that non-profits such as these do in fostering participation and extending equal rights to marginalized groups, and I want to make sure that they are supported in the work that they will need to do over these next four years, should a President 😡 start impinging on any rights.
2. I will vote in all elections (including local ones).
3. I will research the candidates beforehand to make sure that I understand their stances, their funding support, and their characters.
4. I will volunteer either as a poll worker or with RockTheVote to make sure that all who can vote are registered, and that all who are able to vote, can.
5. I will never refer to this President by name. He will be Mr. President, or President 😡. The fame of his name and the thrall of his celebrity allowed him to advance as far as he did, so to eliminate that thrall, he is forever re-signified in my writing. (Many may think of Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort, and while naming-to-tame is a strong and important lesson for children to learn, it is also important to learn to overcome-by-ignoring and to find the source of a bully's power and eliminate it).
6. I will speak up for the rights of those less fortunate than me. Loudly, forcibly, and constantly. I will let this election be a crucible of fire in forging me into an outspoken feminist killjoy (see https://feministkilljoys.com), and I will work hard to check my privilege so that those less fortunate than me see me as an ally and not as an adversary.
7. I will not make holidays hell on my family (this was actually going the other way, given the outspoken feminist killjoy bit from earlier). Even as I speak up for the rights of others, I will strive to listen to what those I disagree with are saying, and to understand their point of view. I need to understand the structures around their rationality in order to break the mindset that would justify voting for 😡.
8. I will practice embodiment, empathy and proper boundary-setting in these conversations, both to protect my humanity and that of my interlocutor.
9. I will practice self-care as a form of radical politics. To quote Audre Lord: "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation and that is an act of political warfare."
10. I will do my work. This election has proven to me that my research is pertinent, and more important than ever. All celebrities tell us about ourselves and serve as signs of the societies we want to forge. 25% of Americans chose this celebrity and this society. 75% did not.
11. I will encourage those around me to make similar lists. The earth has shattered. It's time to rebuild.
*As a graduate student on a pretty limited income, it won't be much money. Once I get a real job, I aim to bump that up to 10%.
I was just following a thread with similar thoughts on facebook related to your #1 - ACLU was on the list several times over as being READY to go to COURT. Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Center for Constitutional Rights also on the list.
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ReplyDeleteLOVE THIS! While I am still a bit despondent from the results of the election, I am also feeling determined and empowered by all the others who will fight for good. Much of what the President-elect (adopting your He-who-must-not-be-named idea) may try to do - not that I actually believe he has any plans (did you see his face when reporters began to find him in the lead? the faces of his family and council?!) - will not affect me, but you best believe I will call that ish out when it affects my students, my friends, my family. As always, I am impressed with your thoughtful (and feasible!) approach. Te mando abrazos grandes desde Texas. ¡Siga la lucha!
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