It’s February 1, 2025, and I can’t think of a better time than now to let your voice be heard
It’s only February 1, and U.S. citizens have been dropped back into the terror, shock and nervous system overload of another Trump administration. I don’t know about you but I’m angry in a brand new way. A quieter, more seething, much more strategic way. The way one gets angry when something simply breaks inside. But I think sometimes that is what it takes to feel safe and liberated to really make your voice heard.. A future post will deconstruct more personal things, but for now, I feel compelled to do what I can to empower others to use their voices and rise up in a wave of truth.
This is a long road, and friends, it is going to take some truly dedicated work in community building, coalition work, and literally learning new ways of supporting our own communities as safety nets are pulled one by one. Not only to combat the purposeful hateful legislation and rhetoric targeting vulnerable groups of people, but to build new networks of trust and support amidst what is clearly a tailspin into fascism and possibly economic collapse. This is no time for thoughts and tariffs; this is the time for standing in our values and making our voices heard.
So what can we do in practical ways to make a difference? I freakin’ wish I knew all of the answers, but one I know for sure is to use our voices. We are currently still allowed by law to allow our truths and our values to be heard. And we really need to do this if we want to keep a semblance of democracy and protection for our health, safety, and liberties.
Make your voice heard with your state senators, representatives and elected officials
This post is completely dedicated to being relentlessly loud and un-ignorable with your senators and representatives. We still live in a political system that requires us to have representatives so call them. Email them. Write them letters.
You can find out who your two senators are HERE. Addresses, email addresses and phone numbers are all listed on this page. You can find your house representative by entering your zip code HERE.
And if you want to send a statement in the mail? Write them your concerns on a postcard or series of postcards and don’t stop.
Grab some of these postcards for to write to your senators or representatives – free download or purchase a pack!
I created a couple of different postcard options for the very purpose of knowing that these folx really need to hear from us more – they have to show up and vote on things that should be representing us – their constituents.
Free downloadable postcards for your elected officials
These postcards are free for you to download, print on a sturdy card stock, and cut. Both downloads have the same card art, there are just two different ways of cutting them depending on whether you prefer crops and a paper cutter, or using scissors with the printed outlines.
Postcards from a constituent – with crop marks for cutting – free download
Postcards from a constituent – with printed outlines for cutting – free download
Honestly – you don’t need to print anything on the back, but I did include art for printing on the back. Fingers crossed your printer lines up the art properly enough – printers can be so finicky.
But it’s probably easier to just leave it free of print on the back and just make sure that you leave about a half inch along the entire bottom of the card, and keep your message in the first 2.5 – 3 inches of the left side of the card. Write the address and recipient on the right side, and be sure to include a postcard stamp (cheaper than first class or forever stamps). You could also send a batch to a particular official in an envelope for cheaper postage.
Purchase a printed pack of colorful postcards for your elected officials
These color themed 12 pack of postcards are available for purchase on my Etsy shop, and are great for having on hand to color coordinate with the most pressing issues of any particular week (y’all know every week will have new things thrown at the most vulnerable groups and we need to keep up the fight).
Horrified that Trump’s administration has been cruelly targeting our trans community and children? Ya. Send your concerns on any cards that represent the transgender flag colors – or any other colors. But be direct and make your expectations clear.
Upset about 1,100 EPA employees getting fired and not really wanting the opportunity of “so many more movies like Erin Brockovitch” being made? Send your message on the green card.
The point is – keep sending your messages, however you can. Make your voice heard, make your VALUES heard, and insist that our elected officials take seriously the play-by-play nosedive into fascism that we are immersed in with each passing day. And make sure they know that you are watching them. You’re watching their votes, you’re watching their behaviors.
We are all we’ve got, so let’s do our best to find each other, work together, and preserve our humanity
Let’s work together to save our social safety nets – we need those! Let’s work together to fight for more protection for our vulnerable communities and friends! To protect healthcare for us all! To protect our seniors, our children, our veterans, our liberties – our freedom!
Whether or not you send a postcard – write an email, protest on the ground, make relentless phone calls, boycott what you are able, make art, have hard conversations (but maybe not with people who are still deeply supportive of this administration, it’s probably time to let go of hope on that one; most especially if they haven’t spoken up in disgust over musky’s salute).
Just remember – we need us all. Hold the boundaries that keep you and others safe, find your safe people, invest in mutual aid to help those in the most dire need, find that mutual aid if you need it, make your voices loud and clear, and let’s start to rebuild what is being destroyed.
If you’re looking for more ideas on how to stay informed and take action, I did write a post about taking action to preserve justice and equality, and let me warn you it’s a long slog. Let’s just say I care about a lot of things and my brain’s trajectory sometimes follows a brillo pad pathway so apologies if it’s a lot. But – it’s a lot of good stuff.
My actual feeling, bleeding, crying, loving, honoring heart is with us all. In a sincere and human way, the way hearts ought to be allowed to be. ❤️
Other posts you may find interesting:
2025: A Year to Stand for Human Rights, Justice and Equality
Art and Politics: How Art Tells the Stories of the Times