We can do something.
Now what?
Doom scrolling, wringing our hands, worrying, blaming, and complaining supports the status quo. Despair and retreat are not strategies. We can convert that energy into empowerment when we take action. That action can start with taking care of our mindbodyspirit through exercise, meditation and mindfulness, recreation/beauty/outdoor time, creating art, rest, nutrition, time with loved ones especially children and animals, and celebrating small victories.
We can break our sense of isolation and helplessness by being better friends, and by engaging in organized activism; we can show up in solidarity to resist policies that support systemic oppression and we can hold elected officials accountable. We can develop relationships with and within local grassroots organizations, and learn about their work, at their scheduled meetings. We can ask for contact information of the people we meet and stay in touch. When asked, we can take part in actions they lead. We can support them from behind by giving money and other material support, amplifying their message, giving them access to our platforms, signing petitions, contacting elected officials on legislation they’re concerned about, sharing our social connections when needed, providing background support with our skills such as IT/website, financial and legal, writing, artistic skills, marketing, grant writing, mental health care, self defense training and similar efforts.
We can do something.
Here are some ways to get involved locally:
Houston and Texas
A list curated by Progress Texas
ACLU of Texas works with communities, at the State Capitol, and in the courts to protect and advance civil rights and civil liberties for every Texan, no exceptions
American Indian Genocide Museum is a Houston-based traveling museum exists to educate using actual documentation of events that have transpired in the near extermination, and in some cases, the total extermination of native tribes and cultures. It is a memorial to the victims of ethnic cleansing. Racism, discrimination and injustice will be addressed with the purpose of promoting public awareness that these elements of genocide which existed in the past, continue to exist today.
AMOR disability justice, climate justice and immigrant justice
African American Library at the Gregory School and Friends of the AALGF is dedicated to preserving and promoting the history and culture of African Americans in Houston and beyond. Our goal is to link visitors from around the world to the storied history of this city and Texas.
BAJI Black Alliance for Just Immigration
Brown Berets of Houston building Chicano solidarity.
CA4Y (Collective Action 4 Youth) leverages community power and centers youth voices for equitable, systemic solutions based in shared leadership, responsibility and accountability. They do this by centering the experiences of impacted people to transform systems and create solutions.
CAIR Houston safeguarding the rights and dignity of the Muslim community.
Center for the Healing of Racism for facilitated dialogues about racism and other forms of oppression
College Park Cemetery is one of Houston’s three oldest African American graveyards. The earliest legible grave marker dates to 1900, but with many unmarked graves and unreadable stones, it is likely that earlier burials exist. Volunteer cleanups are on the second Saturday of every month.
Community Voices for Public Education
Democratic Socialists of America fights for more democracy — in our workplaces, communities, and politics. They believe that capitalism is a problem, and have a vision based on solidarity, radical democracy, and liberation. Members are building and supporting working class movements for social change while establishing an openly socialist presence locally in Houston through activism, political education, and community organization, and politics.
EcotoneWorld Garden An ecological atonement model – Cultivating urban organic food. ECOTONE is a “green” vision catalyst offering tangible solutions to address the needs of urban communities in areas of sustainability community development, gardening, health & nutrition, organic commerce and ecological global enrichment.
Equality Texas envisions a Texas where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Texans and their families have full equality in the hearts and minds of our fellow Texans and in all areas of the law.
Faith In Texas Dallas-based nonpartisan, multi-racial, multi-faith grassroots movement of people united in values working together to achieve economic, racial, and social justice for all people
FIEL Houston an immigrant-led civil rights organization dedicated to advocating for fair laws for immigrant youth and their families.
Fifth Ward Cultural Arts District
Filipino American National Historical Society promotes understanding, education, enlightenment, appreciation, and enrichment through the identification, gathering, preservation, and dissemination of the history and culture of Filipino Americans in the United States.
Food Not Bombs Houston recovers and shares free vegan or vegetarian food with the public without restriction in over 1,000 cities around the world to protest war, poverty and the destruction of the environment.
Grassroots Leadership / Texas Advocates for Justice fighting to end prison profiteering and reduce reliance on criminalization
Harlem River Farms A network of thriving community gardens, contributing to food security, environmental sustainability, and vibrant local communities.
Harris County Public Library offers The Harris County Enhanced+ Library Card, a full-service library card and verified photo ID in one! It contains your full name, date of birth, gender, address, library card number, expiration date, and photo. Enhanced library cards can be used as a supplemental form of Photo ID. It is an additional option for library users who might benefit from another form of photo ID.
Houston Climate Movement a climate and environmental coalition working across the Greater Houston Area and Texas Gulf.
Houston Democracy Project is an independent advocate for democracy in Houston, Harris County & Texas, not connected to any candidate, elected official or non-profit.
Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy works for global recognition of historic Freedmen’s Town as the heritage district that transforms our understanding of emancipation to be the story of freedom. This once-overlooked place embodies human triumph over brutality, adversity, and oppression.
Houston Intersex Society is an all-volunteer BIPOC led Houston-based grassroots non-profit organization for, by, and about intersex people.
Houston LEADS a coalition of organizations and individuals fighting to improve the City of Houston and Harris County for all immigrants!
Jason’s Prison Journal Jason Renard Walker is a writer, activist, and organizer located in the Texas prison system. His journalism focuses on exposing prison conditions.
Latina Institute Tex inform, organize, and mobilize on reproductive justice issues.
La Unidad 11 Familias apoyando familias! Unidad en Communidad! Este es el momento! Este es nuestro tiempo de levantar nuestra voz y defender nuestro derecho a Ser!
League of Women Voters fosters a thriving democracy by engaging all people in the political process through nonpartisan information sharing, passionate civic engagement and by providing opportunities to participate in the democratic process.
LINK Houston advocates for a robust and equitable transportation network so that all people can reach opportunity
Lilith Fund provides direct financial and emotional support to Texans forced to travel to access abortions, and those who need reproductive care close to home.
Mahogany Project The mission of The Mahogany Project is to create and provide safe social spaces for/by transgender and non-binary people in Houston, Texas
Moms Demand Action is well organized in Texas to demand action to protect us from gun violence.
Olivewood Cemetery is Houston’s first incorporated African American cemetery. Volunteer clean ups are on the first and third Saturday each month
Own Every Piece was born from years of research and listening to women. Together, we’ve built a tight-knit community and a safe space that normalizes conversations around women’s sexual health— and birth control was just the first piece of a much larger puzzle
Powered By People Texas Republicans have made our state the hardest in the nation to register to vote and cast a ballot, we are putting in the work to reach those most targeted by GOP voter suppression and bring them into our elections.
Pure Justice is active in electoral justice, criminal justice, police accountability, economic justice, and reimagining public safety for everyone (RISE campaign).
Restorative Houston creates an intergenerational cohort of restorative justice practitioners who will strengthen community ties, promote healing, and offer non-punitive models of harm repair at the individual, community and systemic levels in Houston.
RISE Houston envisions a Houston where everyone has the tools and resources they need to strive and thrive. They are working collectively to stop police violence and to demand that Houston tax dollars be spent on community programs that actually make us safe.
Shades of Blue Project is dedicated to helping minority women who are suffering from postpartum depression and/or anxiety. They are dedicated to helping women before, during and after child-birth with mental health advocacy, treatment and support.
Solar United Neighbors We help people go solar and fight for their energy rights.
Strong Towns Houston. a grassroots group of Houstonians advocating for safe streets, affordable housing, and livable communities. Our organization is a chapter of a larger national advocacy organization, Strong Towns.
Texans Against Gerrymandering We believe in fair play and democracy which is why we’re dedicated to raising awareness and working towards a future where every vote counts equally. Join us in the fight for fair voting!
Texas Jail Project. Organizing with and advocating for people in county jails to build a world where healthy communities make jails obsolete.
Texas Organizing Project operates the following issue-based campaigns in Harris, Dallas, and Bexar counties year-round. Click the links below to learn more and join the fight. RIGHT2JUSTICE IMMIGRATION JUSTICE HEALTHCARE JUSTICE RIGHT2VOTE HOUSING JUSTICE CLIMATE JUSTICE
Texas Rising a project of the Texas Freedom Network (TFN) – is building the power of young people in our communities and at the ballot box. Our program organizes and builds power with young people of color in a multi-issue, intersectional social justice framework.
The Metropolitan Organization (TMO) TMO believes that a truly democratic society requires the active participation of ordinary citizens. When people lack the means to connect to power and participate effectively in public life, social relationships disintegrate. Their model of relational organizing helps build real community. It generates social capital through a tight web of relationships across lines of race, ethnicity, class, faith, and geography. This social capital enables us to participate fully in public life and to become more effective actors in our communities.
Third Act Texas a community of Americans over sixty determined to change the world for the better. Third Act harnesses an unparalleled generational power to safeguard our climate and democracy.
Third Ward Cultural Arts District
Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) is the largest statewide, BIPOC trans-led, trans-focused policy, education, and advocacy organization in the state of Texas.
Texas Abortion Advocacy Network organizes to restore and expand abortion access for everybody in our state.
Texas Federation of the People a Houston organization dedicated to helping BIPOC individuals, released of residency of TDCJ, State/County Jails, and Federal incarcerations. Since then, we have grown into a thriving nonprofit, serving hundreds of individuals each year. Focusing on re-entry and civic engagement.
Texas Impact equips people of faith and conscience with information, opportunities, and outreach tools to educate their communities and engage with lawmakers on pressing public policy issues.
Trans Legal Aid Clinic of Texas is a non-profit that connects transgender & non-binary Texans seeking to change their legal name and gender marker with free help from volunteers in the legal community.
UpEnd Movement is a collaborative movement that works to abolish the existing child welfare system, which is built on a model of surveillance and separation and is more accurately described as a family policing system. Abolition requires ending this oppressive system AND imagining and recreating the ways in which society supports children, families, and communities in being safe and thriving
Woori Juntos The name Woori Juntos (Pronounced: Woo-ree Hoon-tohs), meaning in Korean and Spanish that we rise together, reflects the location of the organization in an area of Houston that has been heavily influenced by both communities and the rooting of the work in solidarity, inclusion, and collaboration. Woori Juntos focuses on meeting the needs of and organizing low-income seniors, youth, and families.
West Street Recovery is a worker–directed disaster recovery nonprofıt, which uses Hurricane Harvey home repair and community engagement to build more broadly towards social justice and an equitable recovery.
Clean Water Action Since our founding during the campaign to pass the landmark Clean Water Act in 1972, Clean Water has worked to win strong health and environmental protections by bringing issue expertise, solution-oriented thinking and people power to the table.
50501 protests I’m not completely sure how to find out when these are happening.
Texas Legislature Online is a surprisingly good website.
Houston City Council – public comments are heard every Tuesday at 2:00. You can go observe, and if you want to give comments sign up at speakers@houstontx.gov. You can also attend and/or give comments at the various committees of City Council ; you may have to click around a bit to find the schedule, agenda and how to sign up to speak. You don’t have to speak on agenda items. I think this is the link to watch council meetings online.
Harris County Commissioners Court meetings: you can attend, give comments, or watch online. I think you have to speak on agenda items but I’m not sure.
HISD and other school districts. I’m not sure how to find out about board meetings etc. Maybe check with Community Voices for Public Education.
Elsewhere and / or virtual
5 calls 5 Calls makes it easy for you to reach your members of Congress and make your voice heard. We research issues, write scripts that clearly articulate a progressive position, figure out the most influential decision-makers, and collect phone numbers for their offices. All you have to do is call.
Americans of Conscience. provides tools that encourage engagement to strengthen American democracy and social justice.
Reparations4slavery A PORTAL FOR WHITE FAMILIES WALKING THE PATH OF RACIAL HEALING THROUGH ENGAGING IN DIRECT REPAIR
Poor People’s Campaign We believe that when decent people see the faces and facts that the Souls of Poor Folk Audit presents, they will be moved deeply in their conscience to change things. When confronted with the undeniable truth of unconscionable cruelty to our fellow human beings, we must join the ranks of those who are determined not to rest until justice and equality are a reality for all.
Disrupting Whiteness 
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