With the election over, there’s a lot to be done. First and foremost, be sure to take care of yourself and give yourself time to recover. Beyond that, there are plenty of organizations on the local and national level that can use your time and/or money.
We at Rich in Color have put together a list of organizations which will be crucial to protecting vulnerable people in the next four years.
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:
Civil rights:
Lambda Legal
American Civil Liberties Union
Southern Poverty Law Center
Anti-Defamation League
Racial justice:
NAACP
Campaign Zero
Black Lives Matter
Showing Up for Racial Justice
Hispanic Federation
National Council of La Raza
Central American Resource Center
Muslims for Progressive Values
Council on American-Islamic Relations
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
LGBTQIA, anti-violence, and reproductive justice:
Trans Lifeline
Planned Parenthood
Anti-Violence Programs
RAINN: Anti sexual assault
SAGE: Advocacy for LGBTQ older adults
Disability advocacy
Disability Visibility Project
National Council on Independent Living
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
Environmental Justice
Sierra Club
EarthJustice: Environmental Law
More national organizations can be found here.
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
Local organizations do a lot of good work in the community. Ask at your local library or community center, or search online to find out what organizations are doing in your area.
#NoDAPL
Sacred Stone Camp
Sacred Stone Legal Defense Fund
St. Louis:
Hands Up United
Organization for Black Struggle
Places for People: Mental health services
St. Patrick Center: Housing and employment
ArchCity Defenders: Civil rights and legal access
Los Angeles/Southern California
Border Angels: Immigration advocacy
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles
Equality California
Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project
Los Angeles LGBT Center
YOUTH PROGRAMS
As shown through students walking out of classes to protest, marginalized youth will need support as well. Here are some organizations where you can donate and/or volunteer:
The Dream.Us
Boys & Girls Club of America
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Running Start: Bringing young girls and women into politics
OTHER WAYS TO HELP
-Get politically involved. Know your city leaders and school board members. Volunteer with the political party you support. Contact your representatives (see: the most effective methods). Turn out for local elections and the big ones. 2018 will be here sooner than you think.
–Stay informed and subscribe to a local or national newspaper that you trust. Good journalism and investigative reporting will be crucial in the coming years.
-Volunteer with local schools, GED programs, English language programs, and immigration resources.
-Speak up when you encounter bigotry or prejudice! This may seem like a small thing, but it never hurts to start with the people around you.
Have any other suggestions? What are the organizations in your community that you plan on supporting? Let us know!
Edited to add further suggestions (thank you!):
Color of Change: online organization mobilizing racial justice
For supporting freedom of expression:
PEN
Amnesty International
National Coalition Against Censorship
Further edited to add more sections to the national organization list. Thank you for the suggestions!
Thank you for this great list! I’d like to add a few more. Color of Change is an online organization that mobilizes for racial justice. Also, as readers and writers, we need to support freedom of expression against renewed attempts to censor and be alert to the possibility that individual journalists and other writers may come under attack in a repressive state. So I recommend the National Coalition Against Censorship, PEN, and Amnesty International. PEN and Amnesty International are especially good choices for those who do not live in the United States.
Added to our list! Thank you so much for the insightful additions. 🙂