I spent three or four days after the election losing sleep and trying to come to grips with the results. Then, at the end of last week, I decided it was time to do something.
So I logged onto the American Civil Liberties Union's website and pulled up their donate page. I typed $100 into the submission box, then paused.
Blink, blink, blink.
The cursor taunted me, reading my thoughts for a change.
Was this the best I could do?
All last year I had donated to campaigns and causes, lent my voice to protests and debates. I was involved and educated, but to what end?
Here I was, ready to donate again, but it just didn't feel like anything would come out of it. After a vicious election cycle in our post-truth society, how would this truly change anything?
I could click send and have a small sense of pride knowing I had donated to the ACLU, but then what? I guess I'd walk over to my neighborhood coffee shop and listen to a podcast. Just like any other day.
But it's not any other day now, is it?
Blink, blink, blink.
As I stared at the blinking cursor, a few thoughts raced through my mind:
When George W. Bush was president I had serious concerns with his actions and disagreed with him on nearly everything. However, I still respected the office of the president. I knew it wasn't the end of the world and he would be out of office soon.
But this time is different. We have a president-elect (whose name I refuse to use because he already gets enough free advertising) who built his entire campaign on hate, sexism, racism, and more. He was endorsed by the KKK and encouraged violence at his rallies. Not to mention, he's a sexual predator and has really tiny, baby hands.
So no, I don't respect this person. And I don't understand the people in the media saying "Just give him a chance!" Isn't that what the campaign was for? You can't erase eighteen months of disgusting rhetoric with a victory. He's still the same awful person he was prior to winning.
That's why this time is different. That's why people are protesting and my neighborhood has grown eerily quiet. That's why people are wearing safety pins and speaking out. They're scared for the future and uncertain of what our country will look like with a thin-skinned demagogue in charge.
Blink, blink, blink.
The cursor winked back at me like it does so often when writer's block hits mid-essay. And I finally understood what I was feeling.
This time it's different. A simple donation on our way to work won't get the job done. It's time for more action.
It's time for more love and more empathy. It's time for more understanding and more compassion.
This is a time for people to bridge the gap between different opinions. It's time to enrich and inspire, educate and enlighten.
It's a time to make great art. Fearless, unapologetic, fantastic art.
So I opened my inbox and started reaching out to my favorite performers in Chicago. I messaged a local theater I'd worked with in the past. I opened Photoshop and started designing a poster.
And suddenly, an idea was born.
On Sunday, November 27th, I'm hosting a one-night-only show called "BE HAPPY 😀: A Forget-About-The-Election Variety Show", along with nine of the best performers in the city.
The best part? ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of the proceeds will be going to the ACLU!
When something bad happens I've always been a person who responds by doing more. I get more involved and make sure my voice is heard. I fight for what I believe in by taking more action.
Somewhere in the midst of a dozen projects, two browser windows, fourteen open tabs - between research, writing, and half-baked ideas - is that donate page. And that goddamn cursor, still waiting for my next move.
I can't wait to hit send on November 28th and get rid of that. But I need your help.
If you've been wanting to do something since the election but weren't sure what to do, then this is a great first step. Come to this show and forget about the election for a couple hours. You'll see some magic, laugh, maybe even let me read your mind. All for a great cause.
Then you can go do something else and get even more involved. That's what I plan on doing and so should you. But for now, get a ticket for this show and support the ACLU. I think we all deserve to BE HAPPY for a night.
You can read more about the show, the lineup of incredible performers, and buy tickets here. 😀