The past week’s news cycle has been dominated by the specter of Donald Trump. His inauguration is months away, but the shockwaves of his election continue for those both defeated and elated. Simultaneously, news of policy inconsistencies, Cabinet rumors and the appointment of a white supremacist chief strategist have further boosted Trump’s profile.
These are important stories. They will shape the global reality for decades. Lives depend on how Donald Trump feels about the Affordable Care Act and how hawkish his secretary of state will be. Fear, frustration and defeat are legitimate reactions.
That said, these cannot be the only stories we remember in the coming months. Politics have become ever more national, but even in a post-Trump world, we can continue to build our local communities on university, municipal and state levels.
Student activism has been a backbone of progressive movements, and it is especially important that it continues to flourish at the nation’s first public university. That includes refusing to normalize Trump, but it also includes playing an active and engaged role on campus. Fighting for in-state tuition for undocumented residents, deconstructing the racist foundation of UNC, creating a center for Latinx individuals on campus and ensuring that NC keeps its covenant to low-income students are a few of the battles that require our continued dedication.
You can help these movements by joining campus organizations like CHispA, Rad Asians, the Campus Y and the Black Student Movement. Even within the broader UNC system, we must also continue to use our voice as a Predominantly White Institution to advocate for funding and resources on behalf of our state’s HBCUs.
Chapel Hill and Carrboro are progressive hubs in North Carolina, but they are the locations of many ongoing battles. The historically black Northside neighborhood continues to face erasure, food deserts exist across Orange County and the achievement gap in Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools is far from closed. Students might not be long-term residents of the area, but as a student body, we will continue to inhabit this space.
It is our collective responsibility to join local organizations that are fighting these battles as we can. Local nonprofits like TABLE, the Jackson Center, the Inter-Faith Council and the Community Empowerment Fund always need dedicated volunteers who will invest in their work for more than a few days. A few consistent helping hands can exponentially increase their impact. If you have money to give, almost any local nonprofit can use it to great effect.
Recently, I have been reminded that the long arc of history doesn’t always seem to bend toward justice. Our nation seems impossibly broken. Despite all of this, I believe that we can be a part of rebuilding and repairing the community around us. Perhaps we can even bend that arc back toward justice.
