5 Things You Can Do to Protect Women's Rights

Our new prez and his homies are not planning to protect women’s choice, power or freedom so we need to do it ourselves. Just in case you didn’t catch the whole situation; as far as we can tell from our news sources, Trump has degraded women endlessly over his lifetime. He has called women horrendous names, sexually objectified them and been accused of sexually assaulting them. Now he has appointed a cabinet who have previously voted to undo policies that support women’s rights*.

Here are five things you can do to immediately fight the undoing of these policies and strengthen women’s rights.

1) Get Clear. Do Not Compromise.

This is the moment to get clear about your beliefs and to hold to them fiercely. This may create upset. That’s ok. Model for our daughters (and sons) that there are some things we do not compromise - our choice, our power and our freedom!

2) Ignite A Girl to Make Change.

Talk to a girl about social issues. Ask her what she thinks. Ask her for her ideas. Ask her what she recommends changing to make the situation better. Be quiet and listen. Help her take action. Show her how to make an appointment to meet her local representative to talk about the issue. Help her prepare to bring her ideas, questions and concerns to her local representative. Support her to see that she has power and voice to make change.

3) Run. For Office.

Bring your brilliance, your light, your experience as a mom, a worker, a leader, a mentor, a class mom, an organizer of home, school and community, a lover of life, a peacemaker, a middle ground finder, a possibility creator and a badass woman to the table! Run for city council, for local office, for Board of Education, for PTA or for President! Exert your influence. Check out: Emerge, Emily’s List + She Should Run

4) Educate Yourself. Educate Each Other. Form an Opinion.

Know what’s happening in the country and in the world right now. Find the bite sized news you have time for. theSkimm.com is a five minute daily news update that’s pretty entertaining! Tell your sisters what’s going on if they don’t know. Don’t shame them for not knowing. Talk about the issues. Listen. Form an opinion.

5) Make Change.

Women’s organizations need you now more than ever. Volunteer for organizations working on the critical policies threatening women’s choice, power and freedom. Here are a few national organizations with local efforts or recommendations for who to volunteer with locally:

Pick one action. Make it your Christmahannukwanzadan gift to yourself or your New Year’s resolution, to speak up against hatred and bigotry, to spark change and hope. Be not afraid, you were born to do this!

*Key members of Trump’s cabinet: See New York Times for more details

  • voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act in 2013
  • voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which extended the statute of limitations to allow women to sue for pay discrimination
  • opposed raising minimum wage (women make up two thirds of minimum wage earners)
  • supported abortion restrictions
  • voted against requiring employers to provide health care plans that include contraception
niko everett