With 2016 coming to an end and 2017 closely approaching, we think about the year. Man, what a year it has been for America. Who would have ever thought we’d be electing Donal Trump as president.
As hard as it may be to believe for some, it’s the reality. With the holidays just around the corner America could use a few good gifts before the dreaded trump presidency begins.
Below are six gifts you the people can give America this holiday season:
1. The gift of subscribing to more digital and hand-printed newspapers. Keeping Washington, and mr.Trump, honest as well as citizens well informed.
Most of us can agree that an election isn’t influenced by just one factor. But this one seemed to be full of misleading news through social media and multiple cable networks that didn’t give the full story.
In the other hand, newspapers are more thorough. They provide important reporting on the state of the country. The more newspapers we have, the more we can share the truth and be well informed.
2. Give the gift of love. Show the LGBTQ community that we stand with them, no matter who they love or how they identify. We are all people and we are all equal.
Unfortunately, since the election, calls to LGBTQ suicide prevention hotlines have spiked. They fear for their lives and the lives of those they love. This is tragically not a surprise, as Trump and his righthand man Mike Pence have shown the most anti-LGBTQ platform in the history of the party.
The shirt above is to help people in this time of crisis. Help them make a difference here.
3. Give the gift of making Immigrants feel safe and at home in their new country.
Sadly our president-elect has made constant threats of deporting millions of innocent people, breaking up families, and building a huge wall. He said all this while at the same time calling Mexicans rapists and criminals. This makes immigrants felling scared and very concerned, especially the children.
But organizations like Soccer Without Borders want every kid to succeed in America.
The U.S. branch of the nonprofit — based in Oakland, California — uses soccer as a base to bring together kids from different backgrounds and different countries through sport. The group not only provides a place where kids can grow and be healthy through sport, But they provide kids with the tools of learning for a better financial future.
4. The gift of keeping our earth green and inhabitable for centuries.
As hard as it is to believe, we are going to be lead by a man who called global warming a hoax invented by the Chinese. This is scary thought, as there are hard facts that show global warming to be true. This is terrifying for everyone who wants their future grandchildren to live on our beautiful planet.
We need to get out there and we need to get out there now. Climate change is real and we need to do whatever it takes to defeat it. We can pressure our legislatures to support clean energy. We can also do more in our part by doing something simple- planting more trees.
Through conservation nonprofit American Forests, we can gift new trees to plant on behalf of others. Each tree costs only $1 to be planted, and you can see how gifting $25 or $50 can make a huge impact on the environment.
5. The gift of pro-choice.
Trump is completely against giving women the right of making their own life choices. He once said that women should be punished for having an abortion. This means well-funded and accessible clinics are more important now than ever before.
You can support organizations like Planned Parenthood, PPact, and local chapters in your area, so we can avoid going backward.
The Clinic Vest Project is a group of volunteers that help clinics like Planned Parenthood do their work. They provide vests to show who’s there to help walk women from their cars to the facility entrance, often through rough protestors.
6. The gift of showing kids that being yourself is okay, even if they’re different.
With all the hate that the Trump campaign brought, and seeing Trump win, must have made children very confused. How can such a bully become president? We must teach them that it doesn’t matter what the color of your skin is, where you came from, or who you love, as long as we love and show each other respect and understanding.
A book called Promised Land, shows us an interracial love story between a Prince and his farm boy crush. This is a different book than most children books, but it should definitely be in schools across the nation to teach kids to be loving and not to hate anyone.
America seems to be dividing more than ever, but it’s times like these that test us. We must stand together and contribute together. That’s what makes this country great. So what do you say America, are you ready to start the new year with our right foot forward?