The Southern Poverty Law Center has reported over 200 instances of verbal and physical harassment against marginalized groups in the past week. President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Steve Bannon to his White House staff as chief strategist and senior counselor. a choice that was publicly praised by Chairman of the American Nazi Party Rocky J. Suhayda, according to CNN. Trump asked his supporters to stop the violence against racial minorities in his name, but the violence continues.
While recognizing that white supremacy and other forms of bigotry have been present in this country long before Trump’s election, we at The Guilfordian have suggestions on how to take action (are we allowed to do calls to action?) Here are some tips we’ve found from various resources including Guilford community members, research groups and news sites.
Speak up when you witness acts of bias and offer to help people who might be more vulnerable than you are by walking them to their car or accompanying them to the store. Report instances of bias on campus to the Bias Report Form, which is linked on the Guilford Buzz every day.
Get involved with Every Campus a Refuge to donate resources and work with recent refugees. Talk to friends from other colleges about starting a chapter of Every Campus a Refuge at their school.
Give your time to a Bonner site. You can provide childcare at the YWCA, tutor children of refugees with sites like First Friends, Glen Haven and Elimu, take part in local activism with the Beloved Community Center and provide food and supplies to people experiencing homelessness with Church under the Bridge.
Get involved with activism movements happening near you, such as Greensboro’s chapter of Black Lives Matter and the triad chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), or campus groups like Integrity for Guilford and Students for Climate Justice.
Consider a donation to an organization or charity that works with people who might be affected by Trump’s initial plans for his presidency. Consider supporting Planned Parenthood to protect reproductive rights, Border Angels to advocate for immigration reform and Lambda Legal to support LGBT rights.
This is by no means a definitive list and we encourage you to seek ways to stay involved. As students at a college guided by the values of community, diversity, equality, excellence, integrity, justice and stewardship, we hope our community is ready to put aside our differences and work to protect and advocate for one another other.
