100 days and counting

We all know what I'm talking about so let's get right to it.

I'm here to offer three frameworks for moving forward in the days and weeks to come.

Attention is as valuable as action. Look, I get it–not everyone's calling their Senators, writing letters to elected officials or showing up at protests. But if you're also not paying attention to what's happening and why–who's being targeted and how–then perhaps ask yourself: why not? I get that it's a lot and no one can keep track of it all. When your moment to act comes, I trust you'll rise to the occasion. But paying attention at all times is our minimum civic duty. Stay informed through reliable sources. One place I turn to is URL Media, which has newsletters you can sign up for here.

Considered, long-term strategy is as needed as crisis response. We're living in a polycrisis – political, environmental and economic – and most of what we need to do will require sustained time and effort. Take deportation without due process, for example. It demands immediate protest and long-term examination of the systems that made it possible. What I'm suggesting is: each of us can engage on both fronts, or we can divide the labor. Some of us handle the crisis response, others focus on strategy and systems change. Either way, it’s time to think about your role—for now and for what’s next.

Hand wringing vs hand raising. You gotta be doing something more than sit on your couch spiraling. "But Sayu, you keep telling me to rest." Yeah, but doom scrolling on your couch is not rest. Find community. Support your local food bank. Reach out to every immigrant who trusts you and make sure they have a plan – for what happens if they're arrested, traveling or were once undocumented. As I said earlier, you don't have to be engaged in overtly political action. But small acts matter – for your mental health and for our country's collective health.

It still is our country, so let's remember that. The history books will have a chapter on Trump, but he will one day be just that: history.

What's the future going to look like? That's up to us.

In love and struggle,

Sayu