How To Help When Feeling Helpless

Graphics by Ailani Wong

There’s a LOT of shit going on in the world. Nazi’s are here, like, prominently (look at what happened in Cincinnati, OH), Trump blamed numerous plane crashes on minorities, and Elon Musk blocked the Department of Education– for some reason. 

So, yeah, it’s pretty bleak right now.

One thing I’ve noticed in a lot of my classes is that students feel incredibly helpless. We are watching the nation switch to The Dark Side (the Trump Administration). It feels wrong to sit and watch as everything goes to shit. 

So here’s a list of things you can do to show the government that this is not okay, that you’re pissed the fuck off, and that something needs to change. If you find any other good sites, please post them in the comments section– it would be really cool to have as many sources as possible, all in one place. 

Equality (LGBTQ+, women’s rights, etc.)

Sign petitions on Ultraviolet Action to reinstate protections for women and LGBTQ+ people, demand legislators to vote NO on various harmful bills, and more. 

Peruse Planned Parenthood for volunteer opportunities and to find nearby protests. 

Find protests, donate*, and sign petitions on hrc.org. Find what’s happening in New York so you can plan ahead to attend protests or get involved. 

Immigration

Click here to a PDF for printing Red Cards– both in Spanish and English. A red card helps immigrants know their rights. For more information, click here, and for more language options, scroll to the bottom of the site to DOWNLOADS.

Donate* to defend immigrants at the National Immigrant Justice Center website.  

Donate* to the Women’s Refugee Commission to protect refugee lives and rights. 

Donate goods (toys, books, clothing, stories, art projects) to private migrant shelters that need supplies (psst, here’s a list of programs in Syracuse). 

Miscellaneous (Gaza, climate change, boycotts, etc.)

5calls.org is a site where you can reach your members of Congress. You call the number associated with the issue you want to discuss, and if you aren’t comfortable talking on your own, they even provide scripts. Issues include defending the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, protecting DEI initiatives, opposing RFK Jr., opposing Tusli Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence, condemning a US takeover of Gaza, and SO much more. 

A Syracuse University business boycott, “Syracuse Project Boycott” is being organized by Bella Tabak with the goal to keep money in the hands of local businesses rather than billionaires who are already rich and continue to put money towards things that don’t matter, or make things way worse (ex. Killing the earth). This google doc explains what a boycott is, where to start, and what local places you can look at for buying your goods. 

Find a protest/event near you with Indivisible. It lists any events taking place by location, and you can even organize your own. 

Donate* to various organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union.

Check out Resistbot, a website that will do all the heavy lifting for you; all you have to do is text 50409 and answer some questions, and it’ll send crafted letters straight to Congress and other elected officials. 

This website is a live map of protests in the US. 

Mobilize includes events, petitions, and various volunteer opportunities. 

Directly reach out to your Representatives and Senators via Congress.gov. 

Do what YOU can do. Activism is not just protests, rallies, or donations. Post to spread awareness on social media, write articles or stories (like me!), create art, etc. Activism takes many forms!

*I understand that you and I are likely broke college students and may be unable to donate. Don’t worry, there are so many other things on this list, and things I haven’t even listed, that you can do to help!

Stay Informed

One of the best ways to know what you need to be doing is to stay informed. Keep in mind that not all media is good media, and many media outlets are incredibly biased. Check out this Media Bias Chart by Harvard to know which sites are best to avoid, and which ones may be more credible. If you’re interested in America’s general outlook on various media, this link was an interesting read. Note that all media is biased; it’s up to you to find the least biased. I personally recommend TheSkimm; if you sign up for their daily newsletter, they’ll send you a compact summary of everything you might’ve missed in the last 24 hours. Otherwise, this list has a good amount of journals and sites that are (for the most part) reliable. 

But also, please take care of yourself. It is okay to take a step back from social media, from the news, from your phone. Sometimes it’s necessary. You know yourself and you know when it’s becoming too much. 

It’s never helpless. Donald Trump is waving his little orange penis around like he has all the power in the world, but he forgets that the Constitution starts with “We.” If WE are not happy, WE have the right to show it, to fight for what WE believe in. And while I personally can’t speak for all of us, I can confidently say that *I* am pissed. And I’m ready to do whatever necessary to show that. And that begins with this article.

I hope you will do the same.