Take Action
The multiple converging emergencies that threaten to overwhelm our world are not your fault or mine. But if we don’t take responsibility, who will?
Thankfully, more and more people around the world are waking from the trance of “business as usual” and finding ways to speak out and work for change. It turns out that regardless of success or failure, working together in a worthy cause is inspiring, invigorating, and deeply fulfilling. And there are literally millions of ways to plug in, from small groups to large organizations.
In this space I will offer a sampling of options for contributing your time and energy where it is needed most – or at least dipping your toe into the current of change. I concentrate my own efforts on three particular areas (listed below), but I contribute to many others by signing a petition, showing up at a rally, making a donation . . .
Every issue is vitally important, and for each, one or more citizen groups has formed to work for fairness and sanity. Pick the one that calls to you and give what you can. Time, money, energy, creativity – it all counts.
To learn more, read my essay “The Community of Hope” here.
To plunge right in without further ado, check out the suggestions on the right-hand side of this page. Below you’ll find links to my own particular issues of priority concern.
Photo: Lorraine Fontana
HOW YOU CAN HELP
To add your voice to the movement of resistance against a totalitarian U.S.A., read these empowering articles:
From New Republic: “Fighting Back: A Citizen’s Guide to Resistance“
From Yes! Magazine: “Activists Take Back the Climate“
“7 Ways to Rise Up Against Trumpism 2.0“
From Waging Peace: “Resistance Is Alive and Well in the United States“
SURRENDER IS NOT PEACE. Despite the pressure from President Trump and his Kremlin-dictated “peace” plan, Volodymyr Zelensky is refusing to surrender Ukrainian territory to Russia’s terrorist protection racket. Fields of Change is seeking 10,000 signatures a day on a petition to let our Ukrainian friends know we stand with them, rather than a U.S. president who considers Putin a role model and dictatorship a goal. Sign here to support Zelensky’s refusal to concede Ukrainian lands and people to the Russian aggressors, and spread that link around.
SCOTUS IS UN-AMERICAN. John Roberts and the other conservative Supreme Court justices are making no secret of their eagerness to transform our democracy into a presidential fiefdom. In 2026 they will have yet more opportunities to undermine the Constitution in the name of “originalism” with cases allowing Trump to fire the heads of independent agencies, eliminate birthright citizenship, and further curtail the right to vote. United for Democracy‘s network of experts, activists, and organizations are proposing a number of reforms, from expanding the number of seats to strengthening the Court’s code of ethics. Read and sign their petition here insisting that Congress step up to defend the separation of powers.
ICE IS UN-AMERICAN. In Van Nuys, California, ICE agents body-slammed a 79-year-old U.S. citizen and business owner to the ground and detained him for 12 hours with broken ribs, a dislocated elbow, and a head injury, while denying him medical attention. Over two-thirds of those arrested by ICE across the country have no criminal record whatsoever. Almost all are picked out of the crowd because of their skin color, language, or occupation. The arrests are steadily escalating, not because of any proven threat, but in order to meet quotas based on maintaining Trump’s popularity with his anti-immigrant fan base. Read and sign a petition here from the National Campaign for Justice demanding that Congress investigate ICE.
WELCOME FOREIGNERS! With the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics on the horizon, the Trump regime wants to welcome the world by requiring all visitors from abroad to submit DNA samples, facial scans, fingerprints, five years of social media history, and more, just to enter the country. The new rules would apply even to tourists from close allies like the UK, Germany and Japan. The data would be used to screen out visitors with unacceptable views. Speak up for the U.S. tourism industry and for friendly relations with the international community by reading and signing a petition from Common Cause to the Dept. of Homeland Security here.
END WELFARE FOR BIG OIL. Like an addict in denial, the U.S. House has passed the SPEED Act, a handout to the nation’s petroleum pushers. By weakening the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Act would streamline federal approval of polluters’ pet projects, sideline science, and overrule the right of affected communities to state their case. NEPA requires federal agencies to consider scientific and technical information, assess environmental impacts, and allow public input before approving major projects. The SPEED Act not only shreds those requirements but shields polluting projects from legal accountability once approved. Read and sign a petition from Civic Shout here urging every U.S. Senator to vote against Big Oil – and for climate sanity.
BRING BACK COLBERT. Over the objections of millions of Americans, CBS demonstrated its corporate fealty to our aspiring monarch by canceling Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show.” But after fellow entertainment conglomerate ABC followed suit by caving to threats from Trump’s FCC and firing Jimmy Kimmel, a flood of canceled subscriptions prompted ABC-Disney to hastily reverse that decision and restore Kimmel to the airwaves. As I wrote in my November blog, this makes it crystal-clear who really wears the crown in a profit-driven economy: We the Consumers. Read and sign a petition to CBS here from Hold the Line, demanding that they un-cancel Colbert’s show and reclaim their reputation as a respectable news outlet.
And remember, signing petitions is not enough!
Take Action and Learn More
Our political, social, and environmental concerns are all connected at the root. I have concentrated my own efforts on the three areas listed below, Every issue is vitally important, and for each, one or more citizen groups has formed to work for fairness and sanity. Pick the one that calls to you and give what you can. Time, money, energy, creativity – it all counts.
Stephen Wing
Poet, activist and author Stephen Wing lives in Atlanta with his wife Dawn Aura and assorted pets. Read more about him here.