Good Causes to Support / PART 2

Causes and Donations for Books, Animals and People / Part 1

GOOD CAUSES TO SUPPORT / PART 2

Below are causes you can support through signing petitions, donating money, participating in events, learning more, and, of course, sharing.

ORANGE SHIRT DAY:

Below are causes you can support through signing petitions, donating money, participating in events, learning more, and, of course, sharing.

Orange Shirt Day: Every Child Matters occurs on September 30th. This event "opens the door to global conversation on all aspects of Residential Schools. It is an opportunity to create meaningful discussion about the effects of Residential Schools and the legacy they have left behind." [1]

2021 has been a heartbreaking year for Indigenous folks as countless graves have been uncovered at the sites of closed Residential Schools around Canada. This is not just a Canadian issue, though. The United States had MANY "boarding schools" for Native children, and we haven't started to look for graves, yet.

Get an "Every Child Matters" orange shirt from an Indigenous artist like Agnes Wooward to remember those who were lost to Residential Schools, as well as to honor survivors. Check out ReeCreeations shop for a shirt.

Learn more at OrangeShirtDay.org.

You can also participate in the Remembrance 5K Run (a virtual event) on September 30th for $25 or support a runner in need if you can't participate for whatever reason. 

IDA RELIEF:

Hurricane Ida struck Louisiana on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Now communities and impacted people and families need help.

DONATE:

Imagine Water Works: Donate to Hurricane Ida Relief & Recovery

UNICEF USA is aiming to help children impacted by Hurricane IDA. 

Greater New Orleans Foundation Disaster Response and Restoration Fund

THE CROWN ACT: 

Dove, National Urban League, Color Of Change, and Western Center on Law & Poverty have co-founded the CROWN Coalition to advance the CROWN Act. 

CROWN stands for: Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.

The CROWN Act is a a law that prohibits discrimination based on hair texture and hairstyle.

ACTION ITEMS:

Sign the petition asking for the CROWN Act to be passed in all 50 states.

Email your senator.

STOP LINE 3:

People always show outrage at oil spills in the ocean (and rightly so), but what about inland oil spills? Also, for any animal rights activists, wildlife and other animals won’t have clean drinking water, either, like the dogs on reserves.

40% of America’s water will be contaminated. Are you in that 40%? Do you want to drink clean water? Remember Flint, Michigan? Do you know climate change is a serious problem? What about the safety of women and girls and two spirit people? Human trafficking increases at these pipelines. Four Line 3 workers have already been arrested in trafficking stings.

ACTION ITEMS:

- If you care about any one of those things, text PUCZGE to 50409 (Resist Bot will ask for your name and address because letters to government representatives require them.)

- You can also DM PUCZGE to @ResistBot on Twitter to do the same thing.

- Then sign the four petitions on RiceIsLife.Carrd.co.

PROTECT SACRED LANDS:

Here's two petitions aimed at protecting sacred lands:

Protect Indigenous Sacred Sites Now - We've seen sacred sites being used for pipelines without the consent of the Native peoples who live or that threaten the safety of tribes' water supplies, as well as their lives.

From the petition: "We call on President Biden and Congress to direct all federal agencies to require the meaningful engagement and consent of affected Native Nations, early in the planning process, and before a project is approved."

We Stand with Mauna Kea - a petition demanding the halt of the 30 meter TMT Telescope on Mauna Kea, Island of Hawaiʻi.

From the petition: "The TMT will cause harm to the mountain and destroy a sacred place for Kanaka Maoli’s spiritual and cultural practices."

HAWAI'I'S RECORD WILDFIRE:

Pu'ukapu Fire Recovery Efforts - This is a GoFundMe. On July 30th, amid a draught, the largest fire ever recorded on Hawaiʻi island burned 40,000+ acres, mainly the Pu'ukapu ranch region. 

From the GoFundMe page: "This fund will help these families that were impacted by these fires. This is an effort to help rebuild what was lost, rebuild homes, waterlines, displaced families, displaced livestock and any other needs of the Pu'ukapu people."

HELP HAITI:

August 14, 2021, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Southern Haiti. There have been hundreds of landslides, more than 2,207 were killed, and nearly 344 people were missing (from a report dated August 22). Thousands of people are now homeless, about 120,000 people lack safe drinking water, and "an estimated 650,000 people are in need of emergency humanitarian assistance.” [2]

DONATE:

Ayiti Ademen: FOKAL Haiti Relief : Support for organizations in the Southern Peninsula of Haiti

St. Boniface Hospital: Support HEI/SBH's Earthquake Relief Efforts

Ayiti Community Trust: Earthquake Relief Fund. Contributions will be channeled to local Haitian-led organizations in Ayiti (Haiti).

P.S. the Romance for Haiti Auction my mom and I donated an auction item to raised a total of $55,392.26!!!!

HELP AFGHANISTAN:

AfghanistanMatters.carrd.co - This resource has a list of organizations you can donate to, petitions you can sign, how you can contact your elected officials (includes US and UK), ways you can volunteer, how to educate yourself on what's happening, and more.

EASY ACTION ITEM:

US: Text "Crisis" to 52886 to contact your elected officials.

P.S. the Romancelandia For Afghan Women Auction I donated an auction item to raised a total of $51,627.31!!!!

EQUALITY ACT:

Everyone should have the same rights. Everyone should be treated equally. EVERYONE. No exceptions. No exclusions. No buts.

The Senate needs to pass this bill.

SIGN THE PETITION:

Pass the Equality Act!

From the petition: "In 29 states, LGBTQ+ people have limited-to-no protections. From housing security to employment protections or even access to basic services, the Equality Act would ensure equal rights where these states have aggressively failed."

JOHN LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS ADVANCEMENT ACT:

Everyone should be able to vote freely and fairly. EVERYONE. No one should have their right to vote be taken away. Voting should not be made harder for anyone.

On August 24, the House passed the bill. However, the Senate needs to pass it next.

SIGN THE PETITON:

Tell the Senate: Honor John Lewis & Pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act now!

QUESTION: Have you supported any of these causes? What causes have you supported lately (this year)? I'd love to know!