How To Participate In The Inauguration Protests No Matter Where You Are

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Maybe it has something to do with the president-elect failing to fork over his tax returns. Or maybe it has to do with our incoming president openly bragging about sexually assaulting women. Perhaps it has everything to do with electors choosing to confirm this man’s win, despite him losing the popular vote by 3 million votes. Whatever the case, Donald Trump would be foolish to expect his presidential inauguration to go as smoothly as other presidents’ have in the past. This weekend will be about resisting the incoming administration’s regressive policies.

While there’s incredible enthusiasm for the Women’s March On Washington and its sister marches, don’t rely on mainstream media to devote proportional coverage to protests, considering major networks largely ignored the demonstrations that took place during George W. Bush’s swearing-in. Instead, look to Facebook and Twitter for live streams of the Women’s March and ANSWER Coalition’s inauguration day protest. You can also keep an eye on GOOD’s Facebook page for live coverage of the Women’s March in Los Angeles. And don’t worry about boosting the inauguration’s ratings by watching it on TV. As Snopes recently pointed out, unless you’re part of a “Nielsen household,” no one cares what you watch (statistically speaking).

Now that you’ve got your viewing party squared away, here’s how you can get involved.

Find a protest near you

Most of us don’t live near D.C. or have the means to travel there to protest. Luckily, there are more than 600 sister marches going down on January 21, so we can march with our neighbors in lieu of shuttling to the nation’s capital. It’s worth noting, too, that every U.S. state will host a march as well as every continent in the world. The global spread of this movement proves the world’s desire for women’s empowerment and radical change. Who wouldn’t want to join that party?

Head here to find a march near you.

Use hashtags—shamelessly

Sure, plenty of people dismiss hashtags as a type of armchair activism. While tweeting a firestorm of hashtags may not mean much if that’s all you do, hashtags can be a valuable way to connect like-minded people and bring attention to valid issues. So light up your feed with hashtags like #WomensMarch, #WhyIMarch, #NotMyPresident, and #InaugurateTheResistance—especially if you’re documenting your participation at a march. Trolls don’t feel self-conscious about using social media for evil, so why should you feel strange about using it for good?

Let your yard do the talking

Image via Planting Peace

Not a fan of crowds or the equally crowded internet? Make a sign showing your support for human rights and stick it on your front lawn—or your window for all you high-rise homebodies.

Donate, donate, donate

It seems too easy and feels like not enough, but trust the organizations that need it most when they say your contributions mean everything. Here’s a list of deserving groups to get you started: NAACP, Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), National Network of Abortion Funds, Black Girls Code, Sierra Club, American Civil Liberties Union, Southern Poverty Law Center, National Women's Law Center, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Planned Parenthood, Girls Write Now, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence—and the list goes on and on.

Make a pussyhat

Whether you wear one at a march, make one for a fellow marcher, or take a selfie wearing one, pink pussyhats signify support for women’s empowerment. Lucky for you, we made a tutorial that pussyhat vigilantes of all skill levels can follow.

Run for office

This one requires getting off the couch, but it’s definitely worth the effort. We can’t expect women and minorities to receive equal treatment when not enough of them are in positions of power, so why can’t that leader be you? Don’t worry about going it alone; Emily’s List provides all the tools needed to run and succeed in government positions. Alternatively, you can also nominate a badass woman to run, because helping someone recognize her power is just as important as recognizing it in yourself. That’s the best form of resistance there is.