Trump's Tumultuous Start
In his first 50 days in office, we're subjected to nothing less than a circus of the profane and ridiculous. The President of the United States has shown the world that he is the biggest clown of all.
President Trump's address last Tuesday was yet another showcase of lies, exaggerations, hateful rhetoric, and unnecessary drama. He has made this country a mockery. Day after day, he fills the airwaves with distractions and devastation to confuse into submission and compliance. Over 300 years of progress is in the crosshairs of billionaire babies with an insatiable need for more money, power, and yesmen to make them feel good about themselves.
Impact on American Lives
The "speech" provided no pathway for workers to be better off in the next year. The administration offered no solutions to what happens to millions of veterans, grandparents, and children with visible and invisible disabilities whose health care is slated to be decimated in the coming months. Trump has made it clear he is uninterested in making anyone's life better except for the billionaires and the dictators he aspires to be. He aims to rebuild this country in his image and bend the rest of the world to his will.
We deserve better. We deserve better than the BS the leader of a supposedly "free nation" is spewing. We deserve better than the complete lack of integrity of Republican leadership or the spinelessness of many Democrats in the face of this assault. The President has all but put a shredder in the Oval Office and inserted the Constitution. This administration has made clear they have no respect for the rule of law. Our faith in the Supreme Court is shaky. With major decisions between now and June, our legal advocacy colleagues are working night and day, finding plaintiffs to challenge the sea of executive orders and edicts from the White House.
We knew Trump and his administration were coming for us, but the speed and ferocity are jarring. Even with some of his actions being blocked in the courts, the damage is extensive and impacts countless lives.
Grassroots Resistance and Community Mobilization
But all is not lost! We have courageous champions in our midst, like Congressman Al Green. We have courageous leaders who understand the assignment and are answering the call, like Bishop Budde. These and other leaders have also given us the gift of opportunity to find our places in this fight. We can become stakeholders in their efforts and financially support their campaigns, send letters of support, and get informed about their values and work.
Boycott corporations that show their true commitment is taking money from hard-working people. Target is already feeling the pressure of the divestment of the people, and Costco is feeling the power of valuing the diversity of their consumers and workforce. Volunteer for local and state-based groups working with communities and issues you care about. Connect with national leaders, organizations, and media outlets you trust to be courageous with you now. Don't wait. Start engaging now. Join the calls and the actions.
Together, we can make a difference.
It is perfectly normal to want answers and solutions. It is very human to want a guarantee that all will be fine. It is appropriate to be afraid of the unknown. While we may have more questions than answers, there are no guarantees, and though we may be frightened, we have what we need to resist and win.
The Path Forward: Embracing Courage and Resilience
Building strong alliances across communities and borders is in our toolbox. Our histories tell the stories of building mass movements for civil rights, suffrage, land, and love. Many of us and our loved ones have had courage in the face of death, beating, starvation, and separation from family and country. We have suffered and persevered through times of persecution, pandemics, and attacks. We have all that we need. Our ancestors, elders, and the people we organize and strategize with daily can offer the wisdom and inspiration to steel ourselves to do what is necessary.
It is time to stake your claim in this fight. There is no such thing as too little resistance. The demand is that you do something. Organize. Defend. Connect. Divest. Educate. Resist. All of these things require courage, and the beauty is that courage is contagious!
So show us what'chu got! And know that we've got you.
Kierra Johnson is the President of the National LGBTQ Task Force. Taking the helm of the Task Force in 2021, she previously served as Deputy Executive Director and a member of the national board. Johnson came to the Task Force after serving as URGE’s Executive Director with a wealth of experience in organizational leadership and management, program development, youth leadership, and reproductive justice. As a bisexual Black woman, Johnson is one of few out queer-identified women of color at the helm of a national LGBTQ organization. She is recognized as a national expert on queer and reproductive rights issues.
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