Letter from the editor: These times are ah-changin’ (but here’s what we can do about it)

I had at least 14 different drafts of February’s Letter from the Editor already saved. HelloGiggles’ Black History Month coverage! Groundhog Day! The pride and adoration I felt for my fellow women during the Women’s Marches across the nation! Valentine’s Day dread! Almost every single day since the Inauguration, though, my bullet points mutated. Since our new President took office — which was just 12 days ago — a lot of lives have been put at risk, and many of our rights have been threatened.

If you’re feeling sad, anxious, or unsure of what you can do to help, know that there are real ways you, yes you, can make a difference.

Although Trump recently signed an executive order to restrict travel from Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen (thereby endangering the lives of countless refugees and immigrants), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) made over 24.1 MILLION dollars last weekend — it usually only makes 4 million in online donations, annually).

You can continue donating here. You can also donate to the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an organization that fights anti-Muslim discrimination. If you marched for Women’s reproductive rights a couple weekends ago, you can keep fighting by donating to Planned Parenthood right here. Money isn’t the only way you can get involved. Call or e-mail your Senator (here’s how). Just having a conversation about recent events with your friends and family is a huge way to stand up for what you believe in and spread the word. Keep the conversation going – what you have to say matters.

And don’t forget to the take care of yourself this month, okay? While it’s great that you’re glued to the news, you also need to log off at some point and give your brain and body a loving break. Writer extraordinaire Stephanie Hallett put together this excellent list of ways you can self-care on Inauguration Day, but this list applies whenever, wherever. Eat some strawberries. Paint your toenails sparkly blue. Read a new book. Drink water. Go for a walk. Talk to your mom, or your best friend. Because helping yourself allows you to help others.

If the news has been overwhelming for you and you don’t even know where to start, here are the latest serious reads from us that could help shed a light on recent events. Here’s Lola Kirke’s powerful story about her own immigration to the U.S. Definitely make sure to read about Starbucks’ plan to hire 10,000 refugees in the next five years (*praise hands* Starbucks!). Rachel Charlene Lewis wrote this very good (and digestible) post on Ebonee Davis’ letter on being a Black woman in America. This roundup of 2017 Sundance films by Indigenous women you have to see is a must-read. And lastly, please let Jessica Williams educate you on intersectional feminism.

We’ll get through all of this together, HG fam.