I watch as faculty members and staff members at universities in Florida worry about what they say out loud in class or in the hallways because of the many spies on campuses sent by DeSantis to watch them and intimidate them. The chilling effect is palpable. I worry about the future of higher education in Florida where nearly half of the faculty are actively considering or seeking employment in other states. I watch as my former colleagues at universities in Texas and Indiana express the same fears to me. I watch as fearful LGBQT+, African American, Hispanic, Asian, and Muslim students are unable to access services that they once had that helped them succeed on campus. I watch public school teachers in Florida tip toe around discussions of race and gender fearing for the loss of their jobs. I watch as public school teachers worry about assigning books or recommending books for students to read. I worry about watered-down or false versions of the history of race and women’s rights being taught in our high schools because teachers, who can't pack their bags and leave the state, have been intimidated by DeSantis.
I watch as some of my former students who work in the FBI, intelligence agencies, and USAID fear for their jobs despite excellent performance evaluations. I watch as members of the US Capitol Police express fear for their lives after the release of individuals who used violence against them. I worry about the safety of our airports and nuclear facilities. I watch as Trump now weaponizes the DOJ so he can effectively control the policies of a Democratic Mayor of New York City. I watch as infants starve in Sudan while Trump cruelly cuts life-saving aid to them. I watch as election workers, such as myself, fear threats from Trump supporters. I watch as Trump threatens our free press. I watch as the Trump administration talks openly of defying court orders. I fear for the future of our democracy.
I watch as my former DACA students express their worry to me and fear that they or their parents will be deported. I watch as those constructing a roof down the street express fear of deportation. I fear for those immigrants who have never committed a crime being sent to GITMO that by law is reserved solely for terrorists associated with 9/11. We know there is a history of torture in that place. I watch as Trump has normalized and created a safe space for those who speak in racist terms from the White House, from the floor of Congress, from anywhere in America. I watch as this climate of racial intimidation infects every part of American society.
I fear for the medical and biological researchers who are looking for cures for cancer and so many other dreaded diseases. I fear the arbitrary funding cuts by Trump. I fear for people who are praying and hoping that those very researchers who have now lost their funding will find a cure before it is too late for them. I watch OBGYNs in county after county leave Florida and other states that have banned abortions. They fear the loss of their licenses just for providing healthcare to women. I watch as young women that I know are choosing not to have children because they no longer trust the medical system in anti-abortion states should they have a difficult pregnancy.
I fear a global trade war will result in a global depression that is caused by Trump’s use of tariffs. I fear an international order in which the US abandons NATO and its democratic allies and takes its cues from Putin in Russia.
Do you feel like there is nothing you can do to stop this? So, what can a person do besides vote in all elections? Get out of the house, get off the 24-hour news media stations, step out of your comfort zone, and focus on what you can achieve right in front of you. What do you feel passionate about? Adequate housing, hunger, access to healthcare, discrimination faced by minorities, women, or LGBQT+, book banning, immigration issues, voting rights, environmental issues…the list goes on and on. Pick one or two issues, read, and become well informed about all sides of the issues. Find out the voting record of your representatives in local, state, and national governments on these issues. Write letters to the editors of your local newspaper. Write letters, not emails, to your members of Congress and your Senators once a week about this issue, yes, once a week so as to make sure they know your name by the end of the month. Write letters, not emails, to your state representative and senator about this issue, yes, once a week so as to make sure they know your name by the end of the month. Start a blog.
Volunteer to work in elections. Volunteer to work in a campaign for a candidate that you like. Participate in local public demonstrations that address the issue(s) in which you are passionate. Attend and participate in local school board meetings, city or county council meetings, local Democratic or Republican meetings, and anytime your state or national representatives are in your town speaking. If you are attending a university, organize or join a group and speak out to your Board of Trustees/Governors or your university leadership. Even if you are afraid to speak out at these meetings, “speak your mind even if your voice shakes.” Speak out against those who would ban books because my experience is that the people who are speaking against a particular book have never read it and are more than likely not even from the school district. Become a member and participate in local group(s), such as the League of Women Voters, NAACP, Equality Florida, or Capital Area Justice Ministries, and so many others, that address the issue(s) in which you are passionate. The bottom line…become an ACTIVE participant in our democracy. Even if it is just local, ACT to prevent the demise of our democracy under Trump. Becoming active will empower you. It puts you on the offense. Then, get your neighbors, your friends in church, your family members, and others to join you…
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