It’s going to be a great week. With the Winter Olympics, Groundhog Day, the Grammys and the Bad Bunny halftime show, there’s a lot to be excited about. But at the same time, everything can feel a little… well, completely doomed?
Perhaps you’re one of the lucky people who haven’t felt the effects yet. Maybe you don’t have family in Minneapolis who haven’t been able to go to school for over a week, or friends who are afraid to celebrate birthdays or engagements because of their skin color or the way they speak.
By the way, the entire point of the Niemöller poem, “First They Came,” is that if you wait until you’re the one being executed in the street, it will be too late. Complacency doesn’t do you any favors; it just prolongs the inevitable and makes a lot of enemies in the process. I promise I’m not trying to bring everyone down. There’s actually a lot you can do, even from the comfort of your own home.
You can easily call your senators or representatives, or even U.S. District Court Judge Katherine Menendez, who denied a request from Minnesota officials for the Trump administration to halt immigration operations in the state. I know many people my age dislike phone calls, but it’s easy to speak from the heart or find a script. The website and app “5 Calls” provide both phone numbers and scripts. Plus, many elected officials have public email addresses or sections on their websites where constituents can submit their opinions.
I can’t tell you how to vote or what to say to your elected officials, but I can strongly encourage you to exercise your democratic rights. Similarly, I can inform you that Sen. Pete Ricketts voted yes on the bill to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without any conditions (and his office number is 202-224-4224). I can also inform you that shooting moving vehicles or unloading rounds into a man that might be exercising his Second Amendment is not how actual law enforcement agencies are trained.
Don’t forget about corporations with ICE or government contracts that are set to expire soon. Companies like UPS, FedEx, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Comcast and TikTok might be especially vulnerable to consumer and employee pressure right now. Additionally, there are corporations with long-standing agreements with ICE, such as Amazon, Palantir, Apple, Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase.
Also, remember to register to vote. This year’s midterm elections include positions in the Senate, House and various state offices. The primary election is on May 12, and the general election is on Nov. 3.
Lastly, something is happening on campus: The Asian and Pacific Islander Organization (APIO) is partnering with the Lincoln and Lancaster County Welcoming Plan: Love Your Neighbor LNK to create valentines to show immigrant families they are welcome in Nebraska. This event will take place on Thursday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m. in Art and Ed 136.
If you take any kind of action to make your opinions known, you’re probably doing more than most elected officials, multi-million-dollar companies and media outlets that don’t want to “inflame tensions.” The main point I want to convey in this piece is that everything happening in America matters. Often, issues like these feel as if they are happening to someone else, somewhere else. It’s okay to take a step back and breathe occasionally, but ignorance can only be bliss until it becomes unsafe to walk down your street.
Take a break, then get back to it.
