A good deed a day keeps tyrants at bay
THIS IS THE BARE-BONES WEBSITE LAUNCH; MORE CONTENT SOON!
“Upstanding” makes a difference!
If you don’t like what is happening in America right now, but aren’t sure what you can do about it, this site will give you some ideas about what you can do, along with links to organizations that are working to defend our Constitutionally guaranteed rights and to protect people whom the administration is targeting right now (e.g., people of color, immigrants regardless of legal status, non-hetero individuals, etc.).
You don’t have to march; you don’t have to give money (but thank you if you can and do). However, if you want to protect yourself and your friends and family and neighbors, you do have to do something! Remaining on the sidelines, staying “neutral,” helps the evildoers.
Click here for more info about “upstanding” (where the term comes from and more about this website).
… And guess what, you may already be an Upstander! If you already are, thank you. Given the gravity of the current situation in our country, if you can possibly do more, now is the time to step up as much as possible.
Things you can do
Becoming an Upstander is simple: do something (more) to help build community, to help your neighbors, local groups and schools, and to build networks. Yes, showing up at rallies and marches, holding signs and going to demonstrations are all important, but so is (for example) boycotting companies that aid and abet those who are undermining our country’s values and ideals; donating time and money (if possible) to worthy causes; volunteering for any of the many worthy organizations in your area; and so on.
Here are just a few ideas of things you can do to help:
- Write letters / emails to your legislators (thank or pressure them, as appropriate)
- Call your lawmakers at all levels (see above)
- Post accurate information on social media
- Engage with people posting misinformation (truth matters!)
- Tutor kids who are staying home because of ICE
- If relevant in your state, become a poll worker
- Help out at a food pantry or soup kitchen
- Donate food to food banks and pantries
- Teach a teenager a life skill
- Organize collections of sanitary products for women’s shelters
- Shop for someone afraid to leave their home
- Volunteer with Meals on Wheels or other elder services
- Escort people to medical and other appointments
- Escort kids to/from school
- Babysit for people who want to come to protests or who want to do volunteer work
- Attend town halls
- Participate in resistance training sessions
- Participate in a neighborhood cleanup
Organizations
Most of the groups listed below have local chapters in most larger cities. Head over to their main websites to find the groups closest to you and learn about the kinds of work they do. Many are looking for volunteers; others make good use of your donations. (Only organizations with top ratings from Charity Navigator are included in this list.)
More groups will be added soon (and categorized) — be sure to check back!
- indivisible.org
- moveon.org
- 50501
- refusefascism.org
- resistanceresourcelab.com (Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s resistance training depot)
- aclu.org (American Civil Liberties Union)
- splc.org (Southern Poverty Law Center)
- seattle-protests.org
- lwv.org (League of Women Voters)
- Stand Up for Science
- Mobilize (volunteer opportunities)
- Habitat for Humanity
- Amnesty International
- Doctors Without Borders (Médecins sans Frontières)
MORE IDEAS COMING SOON — check back!
Become an Upstander 