Action Steps for Living in a Post Overturning of Roe V Wade USA
Voting (by itself) will not save us. The Democratic Party will not save us. We need to do more.
Before people comment on my post and misinterpret what I am saying let me be clear: I believe voting is important. But we need to be realistic about the limits of voting, especially when 51% of white women with college degrees had no qualms about voting for Trump. We also need to take into account the fact that some states and the Supreme Court continue to gut voting rights. I absolutely believe that while we have the right to vote, we need to exercise it.
But I firmly believe there may come a time when the majority of Americans are unable to exercise their right to vote. I don’t mean to contribute to any fear-mongering, but I want to point out that for many Black and brown people that dystopian future is already a reality.
Voter ID Laws, gerrymandering, and our criminal system that disproportionately imprison Black people and then denies some of them the right to vote, already makes voting difficult if not impossible for millions of people. I think we need to prepare for the possibility of voting becoming increasingly difficult, if not impossible, for the majority of American citizens.
In addition, the cowardice of the Democratic Party means that voting for them will slow the slide to authoritarianism, but it won’t stop it. So yes vote. Let’s also recognize that voting by itself is not enough. I have some suggestions of steps to take now, to prepare for the possibility of things getting worse in the US.
Note: These are only suggestions. Please do your own research to see if the resources listed are right for you. If you know of any other useful sources feel free to leave a comment! And as always, follow those in your community that have already been doing activist/organizing work.
If you can, support your local abortion fund. Go to: https://abortionfunds.org/funds/
*Note you might want to use a VPN, especially if visiting from a state that is effectively or will effectively ban abortion
Find individuals, groups, and organizations in your state and town that are planning direct actions. Take their training, and learn about nonviolent direct action from the people who have been doing the work for years and decades, especially BIPOC and disability activists. (If you are white and nondisabled, you need to fairly compensate these BIPOC and disability activists and listen, and let them lead and not just exploit their labor.)
If there are no direct action organizations in your town or state, you can still learn about nonviolent direct action.
Pace e bene offers online training, and they offer scholarships for those who cannot afford their fees.
Also particularly for Black organizers and activists, check out : The Blackout Collective for resources and the possibility of requesting training for your group/organization. They specifically want to train Black organizers and activists in direct action.
ICNC- The International Center on Nonviolent Conflict. Note: ICNC has a lot of case studies and examples from outside the US. They also have a ton of free articles, books, and an online course on civil resistance. You need to apply that course but if accepted, the online course is free.)
The United Institute of Peace (USIP) currently has numerous free courses on nonviolent action. Yes it was established by Congress in 1984. That said, don’t be surprised if in the next few years they no longer exist. Yet right now they have free resources from nonviolent practitioners and experts around the world.
Beautiful Trouble- they have articles and tool kits for direct action.
Read up on Dr. Gene Sharp.
One thing to note is that while protests and rallies are super important there are hundreds of other nonviolent tactics people can use that would enable people of all physical abilities, ages, etc to participate. See some of the above resources for other tactics.
Direct action organizations can also help provide you with resources on how to maintain security when attending or planning direct action. (For instance, if possible download encrypted messaging apps such as signal. As well as the use VPN when visiting certain sites) Protests are being utilized a lot right now. Here are some tips for those who choose to attend. There are hundreds of other forms of nonviolent direct action, and each tactic comes with its own risk and benefit. Training in Nonviolent Direct Action can help you become aware of those risks and benefits.
Learn how to deal with conflict-inability to deal with conflict has disseminated activist organizations and torn down movements. We cannot deal with oppressive institutions if we are too busy infighting amongst ourselves.
If you can, take de-escalation training. This will be useful if attending protests/rallies. Again local direct action groups should be able to help you find resources in your community. But here are some organizations that offer training on zoom. Note they may have specific dates where training is offered. MetaPeace Team and DC Peace Team.
If you are Christian there are organizations and churches that support reproductive rights. They will be organizing. Of course, a denomination may be supportive of reproductive rights but individual congregations may not be. So make sure to check if a particular congregation in your area supports reproductive rights. But here is a non-exhaustive list of denominations that have released statements critiquing the overturning of Roe V Wade include: The Episcopal Church, The United Church of Christ, The Presbyterian Church, USA, and The United Methodist Church
Other Christian/religious organizations that are pro-choice include: Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights
Your individual state may have local clergy groups for choice. For instance Ohio Clergy for Choice
If you or anyone you know needs access to abortion: check out your local community and state resources first. But here are some other suggestions: (Consider the use of a VPN if accessing in a state where abortion is or will soon be illegal)
What’s not helpful: posting on social media about how you will take people “camping”aka to get an abortion if they are in a state that bans it. Kiki Djarin explains on Twitter why that is at best unhelpful and at worst dangerous. Also do not offer advice on specific herbs and plants that may contribute to an at-home abortion. Do not take medical advice from some random person on TikTok or Twitter or Facebook.
Breath-know you're not alone. This is going to be a long fight. and the right for reproductive rights is interconnected to so many others: racial justice, disability rights, and queer rights. We need to be prepared to advocate for the rights of all.
Image: Clip art of two women. One puts a ballot in a box and another holds a sign that says, “Vote!”