Concrete Steps: Arizona Addition

November 9, 2016 10:20 AM

I'm a white, heterosexual woman. I am terrified about what is going to happen in the country, and especially here in Phoenix. I want to be prepared, and I want to do what I can now to stand for the rights of immigrants, Muslim Americans, Latinx Americans, etc etc etc. What concrete steps should I take?

I've been politically aware for a long time, but I'm a very lazy and shy person. I've never been an activist. But I want to make damn sure that I'm not just sitting at the side lines, watching as my fellow Americans are mistreated, threatened, or abused. So, what can I do? What organizations, especially local ones here in Phoenix, should I know about? How can I learn about upcoming protests or significant events? What can I do, to be involved now?

Activate me, Metafilter. Give me a way forward, here.

posted by meese to Law & Government (9 answers total)

I'd check out the HRC- they have a local branch in Phoenix.
posted by SaltySalticid at 10:54 AM on November 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

CAIR Arizona focuses on Islamic relations there.
posted by SaltySalticid at 10:59 AM on November 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

Planned Parenthood is my go-to answer. The Affordable Care Act is likely to be defunded, and immigrants need affordable access to healthcare.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 11:06 AM on November 9, 2016 [7 favorites]

First, take solace in the fact that Sheriff Joe lost his bid for reelection, finally.

I lived in Phoenix and there were often protests and marches spread through the Phoenix New Times. I'd keep an eye on that space and also join meetup.com and look for Democratic/Liberal groups there (they have a Politics/Movement section you can search by) or look at Facebook Groups. It might help just to find a Facebook group and observe: what matters to them, what are they looking for, before jumping in. If all else fails, you could also create your own Meetup group that specifically invites people of different faiths and backgrounds into your home to share meals or something like that.

But first I would just pick an organization to volunteer with (Planned Parenthood would be my choice) and you will make connections through there and start to see where the needs are, and you will also be plugged into a network of activists.

One easy thing to do is to support locally owned minority businesses. (Without them, Phoenix could just become one big Sam Fox Restaurant / Shopping Concept.)
posted by the thorn bushes have roses at 11:10 AM on November 9, 2016 [3 favorites]

There are multiple AZ groups that do humanitarian support for border crossers, e.g., Border Angels and Humane Borders.
posted by praemunire at 12:42 PM on November 9, 2016

Planned Parenthood does a lot of good work for women. I often disagree with the ACLU as being far too liberal even for me, but they have vowed to fight if Trump tries to make good on some of his extreme promises. You can also get involved with the Arizona democratic party and try to help turn the state blue. Being shy doesn't mean you can't help - organizations need more than just people who are willing to knock on doors and call people up.
posted by AppleTurnover at 1:45 PM on November 9, 2016 [2 favorites]

This isn't necessarily local, but I found this list of resources on Huffington Post useful:

Campaign Zero (focused on the issue of police violence) in particular has quite a lot of work-from-home volunteer opportunities doing things like data coding and analysis.
posted by rainbowbrite at 2:46 PM on November 9, 2016 [4 favorites]

Find an immigrant or refugee agency that takes volunteers. Maybe sharing basic English skills or provide orientations to their new community (ie: how to use the buses). Make their first experience in the country as warm and welcoming. Believe me - they will remember how it felt for a very long time. It also can be a very enriching personal experience.
posted by what's her name at 5:52 PM on November 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

Another vote for Planned Parenthood. They are in the cross hairs right now.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 7:31 PM on November 9, 2016 [1 favorite]