Written by Chivomengro Masthead 

Art by Greta Scheff 

BREAKING NEWS: Joffrey Baratheon to sit on the Iron Throne. 

Psych! It’s just Donald Trump being elected president again.

 

Perhaps you’re angry, or confused, or disgusted. Maybe you don’t even know how to feel because you’re feeling everything at once. That is okay! We’re here to help with that, and to feel all the things with you. This type of article is not typical to the style of what Chivomengro is known to publish. At this time, however, we felt it was necessary to address the fear a lot of us are experiencing in light of the election. You are not alone in those feelings. 

There are a lot of things we don’t know about the impending future of our country. What we do know, is that Trump is entering his second presidency with an angrier spirit and more unhinged rhetoric. He and his goons have pledged to “deport millions of people, fire civil servants and appoint loyalists in their stead, and further restrict abortion access. These policies are genuinely distressing and can feel overwhelming for the many millions of people who will be affected by them,” an article from Vox writes.

Before we go into anything else, I need you to listen to me very closely: delete Twitter (X). Being on that app will do you no good. If you have not done so already, I want you to stop reading this article and delete it right now. He-who-shall-not-be-named has turned that app into a cesspool of populist yes-men who do nothing but egg on propaganda in hopes of getting-off  to your reaction. Delete it. He-who-shall-not-be-named literally made $26 billion on election day, ew!  

During times when change is happening exceedingly fast it almost seems slow (these past seven days have aged me ten years), it can be challenging to even know where to start gathering your information. Your mental wellbeing is crucial right now. So; take a break, make some tea or hot chocolate, sit down with a nice blanket, and read these five articles. 

10 Transformative Tips To Prepare For A 2nd Trump Presidency

How to get through this 

Mental health tips on how to handle Trump blues and anxiety 

The Election Depleted Us. Storytelling Can Revive Us 

How We Can Defend Ourselves in the New Trump Era

I know that social media can be a handy resource for fast and accessible news (as I too have used for such), especially because it’s free, but it’s also a terrible source for mental health. Then again, some news outlets can be just as bad for your mental health. Here are some alternative and independent media outlets that actually stand on business. 

1. The Guardian — Free 
2. The Intercept — Free 
3. The Nation — $24.99 yearly 
4.  Slate Magazine — Limited access to articles monthly with no subscription
5. NPR — Free 

You may be angry right now—rightfully so—but you are not powerless. A good place to start is channeling that energy into supporting local and domestic organizations committed to social justice. These are also great sources of news!

NILC Immigrant Justice Fund	Palestine Children’s Relief Fund	The NAACP	HRC Foundation’s Welcoming Schools program
Abortion Funds	American Civil Liberties Union	Audre Lorde Project	SisterStrong
The Trevor Project	The Loveland Foundation	First Nations Development	MPJ Institute
National Latina Institute	Color of Change	Center of Reproductive Rights	Equal Justice Initiative
First People Funds	Black Women’s Health Imperative	Advancement Project	Southern Poverty Law Center
Black Trans Femmes in the Arts	GLSEN	The KWEK Society	New York Immigration Coalition
Advocates for Trans Equality	Environmental Defense Fund	List of Vermont Organizations for Racial and Social Justice	The Center for Grassroots Organizing

Power to the people is not lost—not even on election night. Here are some positive things that came out of the election: 

1. Sarah McBride became the first transgender person elected to congress!
2. Mark Robinson lost the governor of North Carolina election.
   1. You know, the guy who was commenting on porn sites calling himself a “Black nazi?” He’s out! Democrat Josh Stein will be the next governor of North Carolina. 
3. 7 out of the 10 states where the protection of abortion rights being their state constitution was on the ballot, voted in favor to protect the right to an abortion.
   1. Montana, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, Missouri, Maryland, and New York now all protect the right to an abortion in their state constitution. South Dakota, Montana, and Florida lost the vote. BUT Florida—Florida! —only lost the vote by about 3%. 
4. There will be two Black women in the Senate for the first time ever.
   1. Angela Alsobrooks in Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester in Delaware!
5. Nebraska, Colorado, and Kentucky voted to protect public education.
   1. The vote prevents public money being funneled to private schools. 
6. Monique Worrell, the state attorney from Florida who was pushed out of her job by Ron DeSantis, won her position back!

If you may allow me to give you one last word of advice—one that you are not obligated to take to heart, but that I ask you to at least consider; do not fight this with hate. I know that within our anger and frustration, there is a comfort in trying to figure out what went wrong and who to place the blame on. But finger-pointing is not the answer. There is a lot of work that needs to be done and we cannot do that if we are at each other’s throats. Let the next years be not a testament to the authority of a single man, but to the vitality and power of the people he will attempt to define.