“So… what are we supposed to do?”
“How can I help?”
“Is it even worth doing this?”
“Chat, are we cooked?”
You’ve probably seen and heard these questions a lot online in the past year or so, in election discourse and response to crisis after crisis flooding our screens and consciousness. And it is totally normal to feel scared and overwhelmed and hopeless — the scale of the horrors around us is far more than any human is meant to bear witness to, let alone experience. You’re terrified and exhausted and want to know how to make it stop, and the discourse, especially around an election, tends to fall into the binaries of “just vote harder!” or “don’t vote, organize!” And these are often met with more questions, to the point where I have seen leftists online assume all people asking for a solution beyond the ballot box are doing so in bad faith.
The people in power — the people who stand to gain the most from perpetuating war and climate disaster, from keeping you exhausted and struggling — are counting on your hopelessness and cynicism. So this is my offering to my fellow Chicagoans, something tangible and concrete to encourage you to find your lane and your role in taking action, to find hope in caring for and organizing alongside your neighbors and working towards something better together.
And yes, I encourage you to vote, especially in state and local races that are likely to have more of an impact on your community amidst an impotent federal government and archaic electoral system where only like seven states actually matter. But more importantly, I hope you commit to what you do after and make a plan how you’re going to get involved in our beautiful, complicated, broken city the next day, the next year. To quote Michelle MiJung Kim, “I’ve been asking people, ‘What would be the thing you pour your heart and resources into protecting and creating if Trump gets elected?’ Do that regardless of how you vote or who wins.”
About the Guide
Beyond November is a big-tent resource guide of community organizations, nonprofits and collectives advocating and caring for neighbors in Chicago.
From abortion funds to community gardens, from direct action-focused climate justice agitators to anti-imperialist antiwar networks, the purpose of Beyond November is to encourage Chicagoans to find somewhere in their backyards to direct their time, energy, funds and resources towards taking collective action for a better neighborhood, city, state, country and world, regardless of who wins the presidential election.
About the Aggregator
Hi, I’m Lindsay. I’m a writer, editor, performer and nonprofit comms professional who grew up in the suburbs and has called Chicago proper home for about 13 years. My work has appeared in the Reader, Time Out Chicago, Block Club, Polygon and others, and I am a part of Irving Park Mutual Aid, Never Again Action Chicago and Chicago Votes, although I am just speaking for myself on this site. I hope this finds you well.
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