Since last Tuesday’s election, the shockwave that followed has reached far and wide, and left many people terrified.
Marginalized groups fear for themselves and for their friends and families, and people across the nation fear for programs that may become defunded under Donald Trump’s reign. Throughout the election season, Trump made threats of defunding several programs, as well as a myriad of bold statements threatening different groups around the country.
The response from those who fear for themselves and others has been overwhelmingly supportive, especially here at The University of Rhode Island. Tuesday afternoon’s class walkout gave a stark look at student, faculty and community fears for the future, while showing how strong URI’s community can be.
These fears are widespread, however, and go far beyond college campuses and millennials. Throughout the country, many rallies and protests have taken place, in which people have voiced their fears and concerns for the future, and have shown their support for groups who may be badly affected.
Immediately after the election, artists, musicians, record labels and celebrities took to social media to urge their fans and followers to make donations to charities that help marginalized groups. People in extremely visible entertainment roles, such as “Last Week Tonight” host John Oliver, have made this problem very prominent in their respective mediums. On Oliver’s post-election show, he spent a good amount of time lamenting the results of the election, before urging people who have the economic means to donate to several charities, including Planned Parenthood and the International Refugee Assistance Council.
Numerous musicians and record labels have taken a similar role in fundraising, through different methods. Record labels Run for Cover Records and Tiny Engines, among others, have made their entire online catalogs available as a “pay-what-you-want” price, with proceeds being donated to charities like Planned Parenthood and the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Some bands, like Circa Survive, have created special merchandise, with the entirety of the sales being donated to several charities. Other bands have pledged a set dollar amount from every sale to be donated. The outpouring of support from the music community has been incredibly consistent across many styles of music and regions. Equally as supportive have been the fans, who have been donating and buying merchandise in large response to show support.
In the post-election craze that the United States has been living in, the outpouring of support has been nothing short of amazing. If you have the economic means and feel compelled to make a donation to any of the groups mentioned, information can be found below.
Planned Parenthood: plannedparenthood.org
Center for Reproductive Rights: reproductiverights.org
The International Refugee Assistance Project: refugeerights.org
Southern Poverty Law Center: www.splcenter.org/