CULTURE
Culture Feature
Mass Hysterectomies at Immigrant Detention Center? Here Are the Facts.
Whistleblower files official complaint on disturbing conditions at Georgia detention center.
09.16.2020
Dawn Wooten surrounded by the text of her complaint
Alexandra Ivey
A whistleblower who worked as a nurse at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Georgia has come forward with a claim that immigrants are facing serious medical neglect in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic—as well as an unusually high rate of hysterectomies.
The whistleblower is Dawn Wooten LPN. She has worked at the facility for three years as a licensed practical nurse, and has over 10 years of experience working as a nurse in prisons. She originally worked full time at the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) in Ocilla, Georgia but was demoted to an on-call position in mid-July after repeatedly complaining to staff leadership about the dangerous working conditions. Irwin is a private prison which houses immigrants detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is run by LaSalle Corrections, a private company that runs immigration detention facilities in Georgia, Texas, and Louisiana.
<p>The <a href="https://whistleblower.org/press-release/press-release-whistleblowing-nurse-from-detention-center-in-georgia-reports-unsafe-practices-that-promote-the-spread-of-covid-19-in-ice-detention/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Government Accountability Project</a> and <a href="https://projectsouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/OIG-ICDC-Complaint-1.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Project South</a> have filed complaints with the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General on Wooten's behalf. The complaints detail the alleged abuses she witnessed while working at the facility. The majority of Wooten's complaints have to do with a grave mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also speak to a pattern of medical neglect and raise concerns about hysterectomies performed on detainees.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-633"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent1 - mid_content --></p><p>The complaint states that the private facility has willfully disregarded the CDC's COVID-19 guidelines. Wooten claims that the facility has repeatedly refused to properly treat or test symptomatic detainees and has failed to enforce any sort of social distancing with detainees who have confirmed or suspected cases. The treatment of the staff is no exception. They allegedly have not been provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) and have been required to work even if they are symptomatic. </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-634"> </div>
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<!-- End Ezoic - under_second_paragraph - under_second_paragraph --><p></p><p>Wooten claims that the number of cases at the facility has been underreported. According to ICE, 31 people detained at Irwin have tested positive for Covid-19. Wooten told <em>T</em><a href="https://theintercept.com/2020/09/14/ice-detention-center-nurse-whistleblower/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>he Intercept</em></a> that at least 50 detainees and 15 staff had tested positive as of July, when she was demoted, based on the number of people she personally knew who had tested positive. </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-635"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent2 - long_content --></p><p>Negligent medical care was apparently common even before the pandemic. According to Wooten, it was common practice for the sick call nurse to shred medical request forms from detained immigrants who were requesting to go to the medical unit. Sometimes the nurses even fabricated records such as vital signs without ever seeing the individual requesting medical help. Many of the detainees reported long wait times for medical requests due to these types of practices, and sometimes they weren't seen at all.</p><p><br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDM5MDU2NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MDkyMTI2OH0.04moFUjZhbUo6k0BAQ5YcNQzIbtpR98EDEIYXn0_Qn4/img.jpg?width=980" id="57ac3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ac8e8b8a724e683361334054d9f7df5c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt='Nurse Dawn Wooten standing with protesters who have signs that say things like "Abolish ICE"'>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Dawn Wooten LPC speaks out with the support of local protesters.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Jenni Girtman</small></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-636"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent22 - long_content --></p><p><br></p><p>Wooten's accounts of these dangerous conditions and medical neglect have been supported by dozens of interviews with current detainees in the facility which were included in the Project South <a href="https://projectsouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/OIG-ICDC-Complaint-1.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">complaint</a>. They have also been corroborated by another member of the medical staff who chose to remain anonymous but interviewed with <a href="https://theintercept.com/2020/09/14/ice-detention-center-nurse-whistleblower/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Intercept</em></a>.</p><p>The most shocking portion of the complaint details the high rate of hysterectomies happening within the facility. A detained immigrant told Project South that she talked to five different women detained at Irwin between October and December 2019 who had hysterectomies done. When asked about the surgery, the women seemed confused and were unable to explain why the procedure was needed.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-637"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent3 - longer_content --></p><p>A hysterectomy is the removal of a woman's uterus. In some cases, such as uterine cancer, it is a necessary procedure. However, in most other cases, hysterectomies are done to improve a woman's life, not to save her life, as it can relieve pain, discomfort, or heavy bleeding, but there are often <a href="https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/1421.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">other</a> ways of treating or dealing with these problems. That being said, hysterectomies are very common. In fact, 1 in 3 women in the United States has one by age 60, according to the CDC.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-638"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent33 - longer_content --></p><p>Wooten expressed concern that while some women have heavy menstruation or other severe issues that would require hysterectomies, "everybody's uterus cannot be that bad." Wooten explained that a specific offsite doctor seems to be administering an abnormally high rate of hysterectomies, stating "Everybody he sees has a hysterectomy—just about everybody." </p><p>She also stated that other nurses have marveled at the problem amongst themselves, saying things like, "That's his specialty, he's the uterus collector." The complaint does not specify an estimate of the total number of hysterectomies, just that they are occurring at an unusually high rate. </p><p><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
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<!-- End Ezoic - incontent4 - longest_content --></p><p>The report is particularly concerning because it doesn't seem that the women receiving the major surgery know what they are getting or why. Wooten stated that the sick call nurse tries to communicate with the detained immigrants in Spanish by simply "googling Spanish" instead of using the <a href="https://www.languageline.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LanguageLine</a> that healthcare professionals are supposed to use. </p><p>One female detainee claims she was told by three different people that three different things were going to happen. She was originally told by the off-site doctor that she had an ovarian cyst and was going to have a small twenty-minute procedure done, involving drilling three small holes in her stomach to drain the cyst. The officer who was transporting her to the hospital told her that she was receiving a hysterectomy. When the hospital refused to operate on her because her COVID-19 test came back positive for antibodies, she was transferred back to Irwin, where the nurse said that the procedure she was going to have done entailed dilating her vagina and scraping tissue off. She reported feeling frightened and angry, saying it "felt like they were trying to mess with my body." </p><p><br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDM5MTU2NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NjQyMTQyN30.62JZHAKVbcTxtuN2M44ujoQwzpVpALfbqyrGtlLw6JU/img.jpg?width=980" id="15849" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8c4224d19b7cce94cda6b74b26c12c58" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Picture of Irwin County Detention Center from above">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Irwin County Detention Center</small></p><p><br></p><p>Another woman said she was not properly anesthetized during an ovarian cyst procedure and overheard the doctor say he had mistakenly removed the wrong ovary, she then had to have the correct ovary removed as well, rendering her unable to have kids. </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-640"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent44 - longest_content --></p><p>"When I met all these women who had had surgeries, I thought this was like an experimental concentration camp. It was like they're experimenting with our bodies," one detainee said, according to the <a href="https://projectsouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/OIG-ICDC-Complaint-1.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">complaint</a>.</p><p>An ICE spokeswoman, Lindsay Williams, said on Tuesday that the agency does not comment on complaints made to the Office of the Inspector General but added that, "ICE takes all allegations seriously and defers to the OIG regarding any potential investigation and/or results. That said," the spokesperson added, "in general, anonymous, unproven allegations, made without any fact-checkable specifics, should be treated with the appropriate skepticism they deserve."</p><p>Dr. Ada Rivera, the medical director of the ICE Health Service Corps, <a href="https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/whistleblower-georgia-immigration-facility-is-covid-19-hotbed/XBQRQE45DNDLJAXCO2OD374VFQ/" target="_blank">strongly refuted</a> the allegations. He said that according to ICE data, only two individuals at the Irwin center in Georgia were referred for hysterectomies since 2018. "These recommendations were reviewed by the facility clinical authority and approved."</p><p>Nancy Pelosi also responded to the complaint, calling for a thorough investigation of the disturbing claims. She drew parallels to dark instances American history in which American doctors cruelly experimented on minorities in the name of medicine. "This profoundly disturbing situation recalls some of the darkest moments of our nation's history, from the exploitation of <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/henriettalacks/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Henrietta Lacks</a>, to the horror of the <a href="https://www.history.com/news/the-infamous-40-year-tuskegee-study" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tuskegee Syphilis Study</a>, to the forced sterilizations of Black women that <a href="https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/fannie-lou-hamer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fannie Lou Hamer</a> and so many others underwent and fought." she said.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-641"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - bottomofpage - bottom_of_page --></p><h2></h2><p>If true, the allegations would not only be against US laws and CDC guidelines but also against international law. The United Nations defines "imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group" as an act of genocide and a crime under international law. </p>
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Should Gina Carano Be Fired from "The Mandalorian" for Her "Beep/Bop/Boop" Comments?
Carano denies accusations that she was expressing transphobic views.
09.15.2020
Actor and former MMA fighter Gina Carano has come under fire this week after being accused of transphobia on Twitter.
Best known for portraying Angel Dust in 2016's Deadpool, and Cara Dune in the Disney+ series Star Wars: The Mandalorian—which will be premiering its second season next month—Carano has faced calls that she should be fired from her role as an interstellar mercenary and friend of Baby Yoda for adding "beep/bop/boop" to her Twitter display name.
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">The Mandalorian | Season 2 Official Trailer | Disney+</small>
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</p><p><br></p><p>Carano made the seemingly innocuous addition in response to people pressuring her to add her preferred pronouns to her Twitter bio in the "she/her" form. The addition is widely seen as an act of solidarity and support for trans and non-binary people, many of whom are fighting for recognition of their preferred pronouns and to normalize the practice of clarifying pronouns, rather than making an assumption based on superficial factors.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>Carano, however, says that she did not understand the significance of the practice and did not appreciate the pressure to conform, which she characterized as "months of harassing me in every way." So she instead responded by adding the nonsense sounds "beep/bop/boop" to her display name. Is that transphobia?</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-633"> </div>
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<!-- End Ezoic - under_second_paragraph - under_second_paragraph --><p></p><p><strong>While there's no indication that Carano made the "joke" with any intention of malice, it certainly follows a mold of transphobic "humor" that mocks the apparent proliferation of gender identities and equates identifying as anything other than the gender assigned to you at birth as a form of delusion or fantasy. </strong>The classic version is claiming to "identify as an attack helicopter," or some other nonsense.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-634"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent11 - mid_content --></p><p>Carano, whose current bio is just a link to her Instagram, seemingly thought that she was just making light of an issue that others were taking too seriously—i.e. "Who cares what I put in my bio?"</p><div id="849dd" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6a5a8c20ee4b06c340bf5bba66310a62"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1305254430959230976" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">https://t.co/lZ9V5BKQEe https://t.co/3t7A6U4jzV</div> — Gina Carano 🕯 (@Gina Carano 🕯)<a href="https://twitter.com/ginacarano/statuses/1305254430959230976">1600031881.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Carano sarcastically referred to "beep/bop/boop" as "3 VERY controversial words" and responded to backlash with gifs of various characters "booping" noses and of the <em>Star Wars</em> droid R2D2 beeping "provocatively." <strong>But if she had realized the connotation that she was invalidating other people's identities, would she have handled the situation more delicately?</strong><br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-635"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent2 - long_content --></p><p>One Twitter user encouraged Carano to speak with <em>Mandalorian</em> co-star Pedro Pascal—who has chosen to include his preferred pronouns in his display name—and Pascal reportedly explained the concept to Carano, who has since removed "beep/bop/boop" from her display name.</p><div id="0e2b0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="86a3e3020c50c7b681d673cc41f8efcc"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1304735724235759616" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@Ahscka Yes, Pedro & I spoke & he helped me understand why people were putting them in their bios. I didn’t know be… https://t.co/u1BkpydoAg</div> — Gina Carano 🕯 (@Gina Carano 🕯)<a href="https://twitter.com/ginacarano/statuses/1304735724235759616">1599908212.0</a></blockquote></div><p>But while Carano praised those who choose to include their pronouns—saying, "I stand against bullying, especially the most vulnerable," she said she doesn't intend to, asserting the value of "freedom to choose," and she went on to call the pressure to include pronouns itself a kind of bullying "that has taken over the voices of many genuine causes."<br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-636"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent22 - long_content --></p><p>Carano seems to be taking a "don't negotiate with terrorists" approach to online abuse that has apparently included people messaging her, not just to call her a transphobe, but to say "'I hope you die' 'I hope you lose your career' 'your [sic] fat, you're ugly.'"</p><p>While there is no excuse for those kinds of attacks, Carano's claims that her response was an innocent joke and that she is "not against trans lives at all" would be easier to take at face value if she wasn't in the habit of retweeting some unsavory characters. In recent days her retweets have included messages from <a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/the-post-millennial-canadian-rage-bait-far-right-america/" target="_blank">conservative gamergate "journalist" Ian Miles Cheong</a> and <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/07/08/jack-posobiecs-rise-tied-white-supremacist-movement" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">far-right activist Jack Posobiec</a>.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-637"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent3 - longer_content --></p><div id="453e7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5499846905680dfcdeac4b8e7cbbb7b7"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1305301756792860674" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Beep/bop/boop has zero to do with mocking trans people 🤍& 💯 to do with exposing the bullying mentality of the mob t… https://t.co/xKNkVumkiw</div> — Gina Carano 🕯 (@Gina Carano 🕯)<a href="https://twitter.com/ginacarano/statuses/1305301756792860674">1600043164.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Both men have made names for themselves in the noxious sphere of "anti-SJW" cultural figures and have been called out for spreading hatred and fear about trans people. They were retweeted by Carano when commenting on the recent shooting of two deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.<br></p><p>In the case of Cheong, the Tweet included a clip of an unidentified person saying of the deputies, "I hope they ****ing die." <a href="https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1305122594673188864" target="_blank">Cheong referred to the nameless, faceless speaker as a "Black Lives Matter activist,"</a> seemingly without evidence, in an apparent effort to smear the entire BLM movement.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-638"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent33 - longer_content --></p><p>Carano can perhaps be forgiven for not realizing that Ian Miles Cheong and Jack Posobiec are disingenuous, hateful people who consistently frame issues to serve their bigoted biases.</p><p><span></span></p><center><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><!-- Popdust Mobile Banner 320x100 --><ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:320px;height:100px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-4301469008561137" data-ad-slot="6952751205"></ins><script>
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</script></center><p></p><p>She can even be forgiven for making light of a weighty topic that she didn't fully understand with her "beep/bop/boop" comments. But the sum of her recent Twitter activity suggests that her own social media bubble (and we all have one) exposes her to a particularly conservative bias.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-639"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent4 - longest_content --></p><p>While Carano is free to be as conservative as she wants, those politics are generally aligned against upending traditional hierarchies of race, gender, and sexuality. And if that's where she stands, then people who are fighting to upend those hierarchies are free to reject her through boycotts, petitions to get her fired, and generally harsh criticism.</p><div id="53822" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="869cb8af9dc21ae7fb79cc00cef245c6"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1305082242700423169" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@CassPereyra I don’t think trans people would like all of you trying to force a woman to put something in her bio t… https://t.co/ZK0NQTmJpw</div> — Gina Carano 🕯 (@Gina Carano 🕯)<a href="https://twitter.com/ginacarano/statuses/1305082242700423169">1599990828.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Working in a male-dominated field like mixed martial arts, Carano likely has plenty of experience being judged for not conforming to traditional gender roles. Even within the abuse she says she received on Twitter there was misogynist body-shaming. I<strong>f Carano looked into the push for trans rights, she might find out that she's a natural ally.</strong><br></p><h2></h2><h2></h2><p>But if she's unwilling to do that work, it would be a much better idea to say nothing than to continue "accidentally" insulting and offending a marginalized group of people who are far too used to being told that their identities don't count. Intending something as harmless doesn't mean it can't hurt.</p>
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Revolution Roundup: 9 Ways to Help the World This Week
Join the fight for change.
09.15.2020
Activism Collage
From climate change to the prison industrial complex to the fact that billionaires exist while other people starve, the world's problems can feel overwhelming.
But the truth is that change starts with one small step, and you don't have to quit your day job in order to maximize your impact in the realm of social change. The truth is, if everyone dedicated some time each day to working on social change, the world would probably be a very different place. Here are seven ways you can help the world this week.
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1. Practice effective altruism and commit to giving a certain amount (or to raising a certain amount for others)
<div id="7d7c3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d936f8ebe17344761536672de6074bff"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"> </div></div><p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CEpFxxfA5c4/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Login • Instagram</a></p> </div></blockquote></div><p>We all know it's important to give money, but it's really not that simple. Effective altruism asks: How can we use our resources to help others the most? It focuses on researching ways we can all maximize our impact on the world around us. Learn more <a href="https://www.effectivealtruism.org/get-involved/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>here</u></a>.</p><p>You can also take a vow to donate a certain percentage of your salary—philosopher <a href="https://petersinger.info/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>Peter Singer</u></a>, who was influential in creating effective altruism, argues that pledging at least 10% of your annual income is the ethical thing to do. You could also consider giving a form of reparations, particularly if you're living on stolen land. (Start by taking this <a href="https://www.forreparations.org/take-the-pledge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>Reparations Pledge</u></a>, which provides a solid foundation for that journey).</p><p>If you have a sizable amount of wealth or come from privilege, options like the Giving Pledge and <a href="https://resourcegeneration.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>Resource Generation</u></a> can help you redistribute your money to various worthy causes over the long term. </p><p>You can also focus your energy on fundraising for organizations that are important to you. Start a <a href="https://blog.fundly.com/fundraising-ideas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>crowdfund</u></a> or a birthday campaign, do peer-to-peer fundraising or direct outreach, or join an organization's fundraising group and start fearlessly asking for money.</p>2. Sign up to send postcards and phonebank for the 2020 election
<div id="3c88b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="39f55e20c8145bfb429261e7f55987e2"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"> </div></div><p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CFKT05BlJ_j/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Login • Instagram</a></p> </div></blockquote></div><p>The 2020 election is a very important moment in history, to say the least. <a href="https://postcardstovoters.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>Send postcards</u></a>, <a href="https://joebiden.com/take-action/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>phonebank</u></a>, <u><a href="https://www.eac.gov/voters/become-poll-worker" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sign up to be a poll worker</a>:</u> Do whatever it takes.</p><p>It's also important and useful to engage with other local races, so pay attention to those too. Consider making calls and taking action to <a href="https://flipthesenate.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>help flip the Senate</u></a>, and support local candidates who fight for issues you believe in. Politics sucks, but we really can't sit this one out.</p>3. Join a climate activism organization
<div id="366df" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e5032446228431d6cf133d3c7584493d"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"> </div></div><p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CFKnyWxAb8Q/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Login • Instagram</a></p> </div></blockquote></div><p>With fires ravaging California and endless hurricanes and storms rocking the globe, the climate crisis is clearly already here. You probably already know that and are deeply concerned. Fortunately, you don't have to reinvent the wheel—new climate change organizations are fighting for radical change at the size and scale we need.</p><p>Movements like <a href="https://www.sunrisemovement.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>Sunrise</u></a>, the <a href="https://www.bustle.com/p/10-environmental-groups-to-follow-in-the-fight-against-climate-change-8864648" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>Southern Environmental Law Center</u></a>, and <a href="https://www.bustle.com/p/10-environmental-groups-to-follow-in-the-fight-against-climate-change-8864648" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>the like</u></a> offer many training opportunities and introductory courses that can help you get started in the work. While it can be intimidating to enter these movements, and while movement work is never easy, a little persistence goes a long way and you will quickly find your place. You may want to protest, write, organize, or just help with administrative tasks, but regardless, now is the time to start.</p>4. Set aside time to educate yourself and adjust who you're following
<div id="42c74" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ea3fd869a748fc03f1ec8e2d38d9ff72"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"> </div></div><p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CFKdEg4H6YD/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Login • Instagram</a></p> </div></blockquote></div><p>We all have gaps in our knowledge when it comes to the realm of social change and social activism, and there's nothing wrong with that. And though a lack of knowledge should never be a barrier to fighting the good fight, it's important and valuable to invest time into learning and gaining skills before or while you're getting involved in social causes—particularly if you're fighting for communities you're not a part of.</p><p>Set aside time to learn about complex topics, politicians, or policies you might be unaware of. Actually read articles instead of headlines and explore the nuances of issues. Make a list of the top 3 problems you're concerned about, then order and read a book about each of them (and/or 1 full Wikipedia article). Learn about organizations that exist in your community and attend a town hall. Talk to people already fighting for social change about their approaches. Follow top activists in each field on social media and subscribe to the newsletters of organizations you want to be involved with. </p><p>Don't feel like you need to learn everything at once, but you do have the power to grow your knowledge and guide the way you act, and a few little changes go a long way. Programs like 80,000 hours can provide a more structured way of considering how you could make the most difference.</p>5. Get Trained in De-Escalation, Moderation, and Conflict Resolution
<script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script> <!-- 02B3 - responsive ad for shortcodes --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-4301469008561137" data-ad-slot="5966901225" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script><p>So often, movements and organizations fail not because of flaws in their mission but because of communication issues, and disaster strikes when people provoke and enrage each other instead of de-escalating conflict.</p><p>While there's no science to direct de-escalation, there are many ways to learn to practice it in your own life. Check out this <a href="https://rightresponse.org/de-escalation-skills" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>free e-book</u></a> on de-escalation, practice simple <a href="https://thousandwaves.org/docs/VPResources/De-Escalation.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>tactics like taking ten seconds before responding to someone with anger or listening with your body</u></a>, take a <a href="https://www.coursera.org/learn/conflict-resolution-skills" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>course on conflict resolution</u></a>. </p><p>This can be a particularly valuable skill to have if you are protesting, when agitators sometimes need to be calmed down; it's also helpful in a scenario where you want to <a href="https://www.uua.org/safe/handbook/alternatives-calling-police" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>avoid calling the police</u></a> on someone in crisis.</p><p>You might also explore concepts like calling in—which can help if you ever engage in a digital battle or wind up on one side or the other of a callout—and restorative justice circles, which can be incredibly healing whether you're trying to fix an interpersonal relationship, a company struggle, or heal a movement.</p>6. Use fun extensions like Ecosia, Tab for a Cause, and even Freerice
<div id="7553e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8530578df3774b6c0e54488ac7c54b3e"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"> </div></div><p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCapbu7qS4i/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Login • Instagram</a></p> </div></blockquote></div><p>This is an easy way to make a tiny difference in the world. Download <a href="https://www.ecosia.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>Ecosia</u></a> as your browser and feel good knowing each search engine is making a contribution towards planting a tree.</p><p>The Chrome extension <a href="https://tab.gladly.io/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>Tab for a Cause</u></a> makes a donation to a charity every time you open a new page on your browser, and you get to choose where the money goes. </p><p>Instead of playing Candy Crush on the train, try a game like Freerice, which donates rice around the world and helps you learn vocabulary. </p><p>And instead of spending all your time clicking through Instagram stories that just make you angrier, try downloading an app that contributes to social change. The app <a href="https://oanablogs.com/5-apps-that-help-you-to-make-a-difference-volunteering-apps/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>CharityMiles</u></a> matches you with corporate sponsors who donate money for every mile you run or bike. Try the game app Tree Planet, which has planted over 500,000 trees across the world. Download the UN's SharetheMeal, which lets you donate 50 cents when you feel like it to help a child in need. </p><p>The app <a href="https://goodonyou.eco/app/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>GoodOnYou</u></a> allows you to view the ethical rankings for over 1,200 fashion brands and helps connect you with sustainable fashion.</p><p>The DoSomething app allows you to scroll through a variety of organizations and campaigns that need your help. <a href="https://www.fromthegrapevine.com/innovation/9-apps-make-world-better-place" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>Budge</u></a> allows you to challenge your friends to donation competitions. <a href="https://www.volunteermatch.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>VolunteerMatch</u></a> helps you find volunteering opportunities near you. And of course, there are always apps like <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/acts-of-random-kindness/id1145268656" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>Acts of Kindness</u></a> which can help you fill your life with more small acts of altruism. </p><p>Check out more app suggestions <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicaprobus/free-apps-that-are-making-the-world-a-better-place" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>here</u></a>, or just spend a little time surfing the app store for key terms like "social change," "volunteering," and the like. May as well use all the time you inevitably spend on your phone for some good, right?</p>7. Get engaged in the fight against prisons
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDMxOTcyOC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MDk1NzEwMn0.azyS396p4QRjiXX9rxh5XaFTxq7KwJvEmTpdoAvBAv0/img.jpg?width=980" id="84187" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="df49a7ed051855b801d893b77c313639" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Michelle Alexander" />Michelle Alexander
<p>America's prison industrial complex mimics modern slavery. But many groups are fighting tooth and nail against the prison industrial complex, building communities and movements while doing so. Find a whole list of movements to join <a href="https://newjimcrow.com/take-action" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>here</u></a> and learn more about starting a movement against the prison industrial complex <a href="https://newjimcrow.com/study-guides" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>here</u></a>. </p><p>You could volunteer at local prisons (though if you're going to do this it's best to be sure you can make a long-term commitment), <a href="https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/nbfn-directory" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>donate to a bail fund</u></a>, or give <a href="https://bookriot.com/donate-books-prisons/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>books to a prison</u></a>. For longer-term action, though, fighting the system that puts prisoners in jail in the first place is the best bet.</p>8. Fight against exploitative late capitalism
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDMxOTY5Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxODIwOTU2Mn0.1Dw6-5uKTxvZqiISp76m47PEhCAJza5xKkXTsrZQnMk/img.jpg?width=980" id="c82f5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d9fe093368d06ce52ad8e18aad874baa" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="The Capitalism" />The Capitalism
<p>What do many of these issues have in common? Exploitative late capitalism has pushed us to the brink of climate catastrophe, alienating many of us from our peers, resulting in a widening income gap and many other problems.</p><p>There are so many ways to fight against late capitalism, ways that are intimate and rewarding and interconnected. These ways (which fall into <a href="https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/12/erik-olin-wright-real-utopias-anticapitalism-democracy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>four main categories</u></a>) have been discussed by stoned college students practically forever, but they've also been fought for by generations of workers and activists. </p><p>Check out a list of <a href="https://www.dns-tvind.dk/99-ways-to-fight-capitalism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>99 tips here</u></a>—suggestions include growing your own food, buying food in large quantities and forming a worker's union. Fighting capitalism can be personal, political, communal; it's never done but it begins now. "You need to participate both in political movements for taming capitalism through public policies and in socioeconomic projects of eroding capitalism through the expansion of emancipatory forms of economic activity," writes <a href="https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/12/erik-olin-wright-real-utopias-anticapitalism-democracy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>Erik Olin Wright</u></a>.</p><p>Of course, there's (arguably) no way to really destroy capitalism, and waiting for an eventual revolution is not the move either. So what do we do? We <a href="http://extranjero.red/2019/07/01/stop-fighting-against-capitalism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>support workers, fight privatization, fight exploitation</u></a>, and more. We stop visualizing the fight as a linear process with one set goal and think of it instead as a cycle of give and take, rest and revolt.</p>9. Demand ICE release prisoners in detention camp
<div id="9c1db" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9781a6f2cab25fe8e8421e9a8434b650"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"> </div></div><p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CFIclFahjqe/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Login • Instagram</a></p> </div></blockquote></div><p>ICE has been forcibly sterilizing women, a new whistleblower complaint shows. But the complaints against ICE's human rights abuses in their prison camps have been public for years. </p><p>Click <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/let-our-people-go?source=social.ig&utm_campaign=later-linkinbio-unitedwedream&utm_content=later-9841723&utm_medium=social&utm_source=instagram" target="_blank">here</a> to sign a petition demanding that ICE release all of its prisoners.</p>10. Tell your own story
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDMxOTg0Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MjI2MTQ3NH0.y03QBxftJmlItW-T_gUOQwlThTIIzGGwT_e6y0IRBhc/img.png?width=980" id="9a2f6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="278b8725098932eb4b6e54d8d57e2755" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Write your own story" />Write your own story
<p>Why are you motivated to make change? And what are your personal connections to the issues at hand? Telling your own story—or at least being clear and honest with yourself about it—can provide a lot of clarity and direction in terms of the way you choose to live your life. Be honest about the amount of rest and care you need to give yourself, too.</p><p>Many people will never be mobilized to change unless a person directly breaks through to them with a powerful personal story. So if you have a story to tell, share it with the people you know and don't be afraid to be honest. Representation is important, stories are powerful, and if you have a story to tell that could potentially reach and help someone, you should share it.</p><p>Don't, however, try to tell other people's stories. In the end, the best thing you can do is just be honest with yourself about where you're starting and focus on what you genuinely love and believe in, and let everything you do connect back to that reason.</p>
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