I loved this episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and think I found a way to spend the next few years.

Favorite quote, “Hindsight is 2020.”

Things to make sure you are ready to do starting now:

• Monitor Legislation
• Vote

 

Places mentioned in his video (around the 19 minute mark) to actively support by giving money (recurring donations or in the name of a Trump voter close to you for holiday giving) or time:

Women’s Health and Rights –

• Plannedparenthood.org
• Reproductiverights.org

 

Climate Issues –

• nrdc.org

 

Refugees –

• refugeerights.org

 

Extra ideas –

• naacpldf.org
• thetrevorproject.org
• maldef.org

 

Also support true journalistic endeavors –

• The New York Times
• The Washington Post
• Local Newspapers
• Public Radio

 

or donate to propublica.org (a non profit that does investigative journalism pieces).

So I have been trying to figure out how to make the most of my anger at finding out that Republicans can stomach sexism and racism and it actually emboldens them to come out stronger and in more numbers. So I decided to go back to the electoral map just one more time.

Democratic Voting States:

• Hawaii (HI)
• Washington (WA)
• Oregon (OR)
• Nevada (NV)
• California (CA)
• Colorado (CO)
• New Mexico (NM)
• Minnesota (MN)
• Illinois (IL)
• Maine (ME)
• Vermont (VT)
• New York (NY)
• Virginia (VA)
• Massachusetts (MA)
• Rhode Island (RI)
• Connecticut (CT)
• New Jersey (NJ)
• Delaware (DE)
• Maryland (MD)
• District of Columbia (DC)
• New Hampshire (NH)

 

These are the states that Democrats should put their money into through tourism and supporting any products that come out of these places. They are the ones that share Democratic values by the majority. Republican states shouldn’t be ones that you visit or buy in your local stores. Bottom line though, if you live in one of these blue states buy local, if you want to take a trip somewhere and know you will be spending dollars in that place, “Shop Blue” if you are a Democrat.

Refuse to support and travel to Republican majority states:

• Alaska (AK)
• Arizona (AZ)
• Utah (UT)
• Idaho (ID)
• Montana (MT)
• Wyoming (WY)
• North Dakota (ND)
• South Dakota (CD)
• Nebraska (NE)
• Kansas (KS)
• Oklahoma (OK)
• Texas (TX)
• Iowa (IA)
• Missouri (MO)
• Arkansas (AR)
• Louisiana (LA)
• Mississippi (MS)
• Alabama (AL)
• Tennessee (TN)
• Kentucky (KY)
• Indiana (IN)
• Wisconsin (WI)
• Michigan (MI)
• Ohio (OH)
• Pennsylvania (PA)
• West Virginia (WV)
• North Carolina (NC)
• South Carolina (SC)
• Georgia (GA)
• Florida (FL)

 

If you live in one of the red states and have Democratic values don’t shop local, buy and visit the states that you feel have the same ideals that you have, that women and minorities deserve to be truly equal and we want our future world to be a better place.

Note: I know that these are areas that are hurting already and it saddens me that it has to hurt more but these are the areas that the majority doesn’t see the connection between their mentality and their circumstances. I don’t think that we were trying not to see people for the way that they are, I think we were hoping that people were better than they were. It is now very evident that they aren’t and it’s time we show them why they need us too.

Updated: 11.13.16 with state abbreviations.

 

 

I have heard a few comments in the past couple of days from people that I think resonate with the ideology that we are still the same people today that we were yesterday and the day before, let alone the month and years prior and as well, going forward. That is what bothers me. There are people out there that have different standards of what is acceptable from one person to another and they are disproportionately uneven on so many levels. This leads me to believe that inherently there are people around me that are racist and sexist.

This race was not just about politics. This race was about the idea that a President of color was the last straw, and a female President just couldn’t be a President. We are a team and now I know that half of the team doesn’t like me. It could just be because I am not white but I am also a woman. Double Whammy. This means I have to work an even more ridiculously large amount to succeed and nothing I do will ever be right in the eyes of half of the people around the nation. This could be just because I am a woman or because I am not white, although one is enough the excuse will probably be a mixture of both because it can be.

Silver lining:

It is clear that America is not “We” the People yet and we need to do something about this starting now. We need to do something. And despite what anyone says and does we will make this happen soon because half of us, and this is a growing number year after year, want to move forward with grace, dignity, and a rising power that comes with a truly, United people.

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” (Preamble to the Constitution)

True Silver Lining:

This current setback really is okay because we have a lot of movement in the right direction to correct this divided ideology. We have a sitting President of color give the fight of his life and we had our first female candidate of a major party give the fight of her life. And because of those two shining examples of what we can achieve, those of us that see in them the potential for all of us, will achieve more because of them.