Action and Direction

What are the next steps? There's obviously a lot of energy, concern and will. How it can be productively directed is a harder question.

There were many (many!) different concerns behind the Women's Marches on Saturday.
An incomplete list (based on signs and slogans and what I've heard from people):

• Health care 
• Access and Affordability
• Transgender support
• Reproductive services as normal health care for women
• Birth control
• Abortion (access, safety, privacy)
• Voting and the Election
• Popular vote vs Electoral College
• Treatment of Hillary Clinton (EMAILS!!! and BENGHAZI!!!!)
• Treatment of Donald Trump (tweets and spectacle rather than policy questions)
• Voter suppression
• Gerrymandering (especially in the House of Representatives)
• "One Party Rule" in the state legislatures
• Republican dominance in the state (and local?) legislatures
• Immigration
• Environment and Climate Change
• Women's Rights (reflected above as well)
• LGBTQ Rights
• Racial Justice 
• Religious Rights (including freedom from other's religious dictates)
• Worker's Rights

Here's the list of Unity Principles: (https://www.womensmarch.com/principles)

• Ending Violence
• Reproductive Rights
• LGBTQIA Rights
• Worker's Rights
• Civil Rights
• Disability Rights
• Immigrant Rights
• Environmental Justice

The group organizing the march has followed up with "10 Actions in 100 Days" 

https://www.womensmarch.com/100/

The first action is to send postcards to your Senators about what matters to you.  Thinking about all the different concerns, I found two that I could support unequivocally and full-heartedly: Immigration (I'm for it) and Voter Suppression (I'm against it).

So, for me, for now, this is how I will take Action.

• Immigration: Chicago is already a Sanctuary City. I will inform my alderman and mayor of my support for this. (Postcards)
• Voter Suppression: Illinois already has easy voter registration (DMV and any state office). I will inform my state representative of my support for this. (Postcards) I will also research mail in ballots (Oregon) to become more knowledgeable about this.

Hmm. The two areas I will focus on are both already supported where I live. It's easy (or at least easier) to "protest" the status quo.  Am I selecting these areas because they're safe for me where I am now? Something to keep thinking about......