“There’s nothing I can do,” two people lamented yesterday.
Somewhere a Trump minion got their wings, or horns, more likely.
Overwhelming us, discouraging us, and depressing us — that’s one goal of the flurry of executive orders, pronouncements and outrages that have characterized Donald Trump’s first weeks in office.
Susan Shaw
Already Trump has done immense harm by ending the life-saving programs of USAID, failing to support Ukraine in the war Russia started by invading its sovereign territory, firing federal workers, cutting health research funds, removing the U.S. from the World Health Organization, reducing Pell grants for low-income students, rolling back environmental protections, ending programs that promote diversity, inclusion and equity, reinstating the ban on transgender service members, and suspending refugee resettlement, just to name a few.
We everyday citizens may feel the onslaught is way too big for us to make a difference, but there’s actually a lot we can do to resist and demand change effectively.
Here are 12 things everyday citizens can do to make a difference. There’s something somewhere on the list each one of us can do, no matter our circumstances. Every action counts as we build momentum. Even if you’ve never participated in activism, if you care about what’s happening to the most vulnerable in our society, pick one action and start there. You can make a difference!
- Use reliable independent media like Democracy Now, The Intercept, Mother Jones, The Nation, Pro Publica, and, of course, Baptist News Global to educate yourself about what’s happening. Fact check. Don’t reshare inaccurate or unreliable memes or articles. Avoid doomscrolling but stay informed with trustworthy news sources.
- Call your senators and congressional representative to express your views and demand they do something. This is especially important if you live in a red state, red district or swing district. Republican officials need to know they may well lose their seats by not opposing Trump’s egregious overreach and harm. Democrats need to know we want them to speak up and act and we have their backs when they do.
- Contact your local elected officials to encourage them to stand against Trump’s harmful policies in local governance.
- Participate in boycotts against companies that support Trump. After a one-day boycott of all national companies on Feb. 28, resistance organizers are now calling for a boycott specifically against Amazon March 7-14. Boycotts let us show the economic power of those who oppose the actions of the current administration.
- Participate in protests. Protests show the power of our numbers. Protests also encourage us and remind us that we are not alone. These are peaceful, nonviolent protests that give you the opportunity to be part of a larger movement of resistance. Indivisible, 50501 and Build the Resistance are good information hubs to learn about national and local actions.
- Donate to organizations that are leading the resistance. Here are a few good options: American Civil Liberties Union, People for the American Way, Transgender Law Center, Planned Parenthood, NAACP, Lambda Legal, Climate Science Legal Defense Fund,
- Join and support national issue organizations like Planned Parenthood, Human Rights Campaign, American Civil Liberties Union, NAACP, and Common Defense.
- Get involved and volunteer with local organizations in your own community that are providing services to vulnerable people in your community.
- Talk to family and friends who voted for Trump. Use the power of relationships to inform, educate and persuade those closest to you to rethink their support of Trump’s actions. If they’re only getting their news from Fox News and other right-wing media, they have no idea about the impacts of executive orders and policy changes that are harming people in the U.S. and abroad. Make it personal. Let them understand how these actions impact you and why you feel so passionately about stopping Trump’s overreach.
- Write letters to the editor for your local paper or online media sources about the issues that matter to you and affect your community.
- If you live in a swing district, support your Democratic representatives loudly to encourage them to take the political risks of opposing Trump. If you live in a safely blue district, work in a nearby swing or red district to try to elect more progressive candidates.
- Get invested in the midterm elections. Start supporting Democratic candidates now in order to reclaim the House and Senate in 2026. In solid red districts, encourage moderate Republicans (if you can find them anymore) to run with a promise to oppose Trump’s excesses. When we near the election, put up a yard sign, knock on doors and make phone calls to support your candidates.
You are not alone, and you are not powerless. Each one of us, no matter our situation, can take part in at least one action that can make a difference.
Don’t give into despair. Remember all those human rights movements that came before that can inspire us now — civil rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, disability rights movements in the U.S., the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, the Indian independence movement, the Arab Spring, Black Lives Matter, and the Labor Movement.
Together, we can transform our world.
Susan M. Shaw is professor of women, gender and sexuality studies at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore. She also is an ordained Baptist minister and holds master’s and doctoral degrees from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Her most recent book is Intersectional Theology: An Introductory Guide, co-authored with Grace Ji-Sun Kim.
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