The pace of change in these past few weeks (just 23 days since the Inauguration!) has been dizzying and multi-frontal. So far, the courts are doing their part and are acting with unusual urgency befitting this moment, but we do not know how this will turn out. We do not even know whether the administration will comply with court rulings, which would be a significant, possibly irreversible, escalation of this constitutional crisis.
So what can we do?
Get informed and stay informed.
The news is pretty bad and it is tempting to back away from it. But knowledge is power, right? So it is important to know what is going on, and to keep up with developments since they are coming so fast and furious. I have modified my news consumption since the election. I have stopped listening to the same (and as many) political podcasts as I did before, especially the ones hosted exclusively by white men. The NYT Daily, the Pod Save guys, Mike Pesca–all out of my feed. I have found that the ones I am still interested in focus on legal and Court issues instead of general politics, and I especially like Slate Amicus with Dahlia Lithwick, Strict Scrutiny (on the Crooked Media network), and Law and Chaos with Liz Dye and Andrew Torres. I have also reduced my consumption of traditional news sources (NYT and WashPo) and have increased my following of alternative sources like Wired and ProPublica, and I have subscribed to several newsletters by reporters and commentators I respect, including Sherrilynn Ifill, Aaron Rupar, Will Bunch, Heather Cox Richardson, Timothy Snyder, and Thomas Zimmer. I admit that I do not read every word of every source every week, but I do scan them and pay attention to new developments. I try to not let myself get overwhelmed but I do not want to bury my head in the sand and give in to desperation and resignation.
Pick a topic (or two) that speaks to you and find some resources that will help distill information for you so that you don;t have to do it all.
Pick one thing to do–and do it!
The resistance, while overwhelmed and sluggish at first, is picking up steam as the severity of this crisis has become more clear, so there IS something for you to do. One friend writes postcards to voters in upcoming elections (yes, there are elections happening before the 2026 midterms.) Another friend joined the rally at the Chicago Federal Building last week. I am my senator’s newest penpal–I have contacted his office 5 times since the election. Elected officials are disproportionately swayed by constituents that contact them about specific issues, so make your voice heard. Let’s not cede the argument to the other side. Pay attention to local events such as town halls hosted by elected officials, anti-deportation rallies, and public protests.
Here are some resources for getting involved in a variety of ways:
ACLU Launches Grassroots Mobilization Platform | American Civil Liberties Union
Program Aims to Organize Resistance to President Trump
5 Calls
Spend 5 minutes. Make 5 calls. Make your voice heard.
Take care of yourself and your people.
It is important to monitor and ration your involvement so that we can be involved for as long as it takes. I have started doing crafts and puzzles so that my hands are too busy to doom-scroll. As mentioned above, I have unsubscribed from lots of political podcasts, and I am listening to more books. (Shout out to the Libby app–3 week downloads of library books in audio or printed versions.) I discovered a new bedtime podcast that is soothing and effective: Stories for Sleep, where Nothing Much Happens. I am taking French lessons in anticipation of a trip to France this spring. All of these are nourishing distractions that help keep my anxiety at bay but do not consume me so I cannot pay attention.
What are you doing? What is happening in your community? What challenges are you facing? What worries you? Share your thoughts and I will share them here. We are figuring this out together.
Feel free to share-The Council of Crones is open!