“Black Vote, Black Power,” a collaboration between Keith Boykin and Word In Black,
examines the issues and what’s at stake for Black America.
There’s so much going on right now that it’s impossible to keep track of it all, and that’s the point. They want us to be overwhelmed so we can’t keep up or fight back, but today, I want to give you 10 action steps you can take to stay engaged, make a difference, and protect your peace.
The new administration is breaking laws and pushing boundaries in a desperate attempt to remove the guardrails that protect democracy, weaponize government, repeal civil rights laws, erase Black history, platform billionaires, open up a concentration camp at Guantanamo, revoke LGBT rights, disrupt vital government programs, purge government workers, pardon an army of militant insurrectionists, endanger the lives of former government officials, fire government watchdogs, and threaten Mexico, Canada, Greenland, Colombia, and Panama.
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And we’ve only just begun. So what are we going to do about it?
I spent four years covering the previous Trump administration as a political commentator for CNN, and it was exhausting. Nearly every day, there was a reckless tweet, an unvetted announcement, or a new law or norm broken. What I learned is that Trump is a chaos agent who needs as many distractions as possible to stay in power.
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So here are 10 action steps we can take to stay focused, not just to survive the next four years, but to win the future.
1. Stay informed but not overwhelmed.
We cannot tune out and sleepwalk into fascism, but neither can we allow ourselves to become depressed by the enormity of the challenge. So don’t try to do everything. Start by following your expertise and interests. Focus on issues important to you. And protect your peace by stepping back from all the trees in front of you so you can see the larger forest.
2. Share truthful, factual information with friends, family, and followers.
Part of the reason Trump is in office today is because the right wing built a media infrastructure to serve as an echo chamber of lies and misinformation. It’s your job not to recirculate that propaganda. Instead, seek out reliable truthtellers and factual posts. Share them regularly and widely with your friends, family, and social media followers. Do not share misinformation unless you’re rebutting it.
3. Raise your voice to elected officials.
I know it’s old-fashioned, but visit the offices of the people representing you or write a letter. A study by the OpenGov Foundation during the first Trump administration found that in-person visits, personal letters, and social media were the best tools for being heard by members of Congress. Share a personal story of how an issue affects you. “The more effort a constituent puts in, the more engagement and impact they can expect,” the study found.
And as political commentator Reecie Colbert notes, target vulnerable Republicans who won their races by less than 2%.
4. Run for office.
The people in Congress, your state legislature, and city council are no smarter than you. So launch your campaign. Talk about the issues that resonate with you and your community. Raise some money. And run for office.
5. Go to court.
If you’re a state attorney general or practicing attorney, you’ve probably already thought of this. But even if you’re a government worker, a federal contractor, or a private citizen adversely affected by right-wing MAGA policies, call a lawyer, and sue for your rights.
6. Reward the good.
We have economic power in where we spend our dollars. In the face of the current anti-Black assault, some companies, like Costco, Delta Airlines, Patagonia, Apple, Pinterest, and even JPMorganChase are standing behind their DEI programs. Support Black-owned businesses that are down for the cause and businesses that support you. And donate to nonprofits and organizations that work on issues important to you. If you’re not ready to boycott, try a “buycott” or a “buy-in.”
7. Punish the bad.
The list of companies capitulating to MAGA’s anti-DEI threats is long. Target, Walmart, Meta, McDonald’s, Ford, Coors, Amazon, Lowe’s, Harley-Davidson, and others are rolling back their DEI programs. Some are easy to quit, but others are integrated into our lives, making it difficult to cut them off completely.
So let’s organize creatively to develop new ways to make an impact. We may not get everyone to participate in an endless boycott of all these companies, but we can create targeted campaigns that leverage pressure points to achieve specific goals.
8. Create a conscious culture.
Now more than ever, we need music, film, art, TV, culture, and institutions that reflect and protect us. If you have that platform, don’t be afraid to use it to tell our stories. And if you’re not an artist or a content creator, support those who are.
9. Organize for the short term.
Donald Trump is a 78-year-old man term limited by the Constitution. We have special elections, gubernatorial elections, and mayoral elections taking place this year, midterm elections in 2026, and another presidential election in 2028. We can’t wait until the last minute to organize, so let’s get busy now with voter registration and education campaigns instead of scrambling to pull it together in the final few months of the next election.
10. Plan for the long game.
The crisis we’re in right now didn’t happen overnight. Right-wing conservatives have spent the past century slowly plotting to roll back the workers’ rights gains of the 1930s, the civil rights gains of the 1960s, the women’s rights gains of the 1970s, and the LGBT rights gains of the 2000s.
Conservatives knew that presidents, senators, and members of Congress come and go, but long-term control of the Supreme Court would set us back. Now they have it, and it’s our job to develop our own long-term strategy, build our own media infrastructure, and create a different future.
These 10 steps are just a starting point. But we can do this — and so much more. Now, let’s get to work.
Keith Boykin is a New York Times–bestselling author, TV and film producer, and former CNN political commentator. A graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, Keith served in the White House, cofounded the National Black Justice Coalition, cohosted the BET talk show My Two Cents, and taught at the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University in New York. He’s a Lambda Literary Award-winning author and editor of seven books. He lives in Los Angeles.
The post What Do We Do Now? 10 Action Steps for the Next 4 Years appeared first on Word In Black.
Source: Seattle Medium
