Making History Today Newsletter Introduction

Hi everyone, I’m so glad that you are reading this issue of Making History Today and listening to this podcast. I’m Robin Lofton, editor-in-chief, of Making History Today! and I like to add that I’m also one of the in-house history lovers and aspiring history makers. That’s what this newsletter is all about and what Rememberinghistory.com is committed to. In this September issue of Making History Today!, I’m gonna address an issue that many people have approached me about: How can I work as an activist that focuses on the United States when I’m not actually LIVING in the United States? You might be surprised but this is a common concern for many (estimated 9 million) American citizens living around the globe.

 

This issue is very VERY important to me. You see, I am an American expat living in Belgium. I was born and raised in San Francisco then went to college at UCLA and law school at University of Pennsylvania. I left the United States in 1994 to get my Master of Law degree at the Rijksuniversiteit Maastrict in the Netherlands. But I had only planned to stay in Europe for a year then to return back home the United States. Well, it’s 2017, I’m still living in Europe. Lots of stuff has happened like marriage, children and other work and study opportunities so I’m still here. That’s a long story and maybe I’ll share that with you in another issue.

 

I’m gonna be honest with you though that for most of my time in Europe, my activism was limited to watching CNN and being the resident “American” among my non-American friends. That basically meant that people asked me questions about the United States like “why don’t most Americans speak more than 1 language?” “Why does U.S. health care cost so much? And my personal favorite “Why do Americans need so many guns?” I answered for all 325 million of my fellow Americans. That was the extent of my activist activities. I was an armchair activist or a slacktivist like I mentioned in the July issue of Making History Today!. That’s pretty sad, huh?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But, over the years, things began to change. I began to pursue my love of history again—I’d always been interested in history—and I started writing about history, which was how Rememberinghistory.com was born. Over the years and 3 presidents (Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama), I began to grow more interested in politics and was able to see the United States from a distance. Suddenly, I began to see the problems more clearly: outrageously expensive health care, gun violence, economic disparity, rising levels of racism, sexism and xenophobia and a long list of others. (No, everything isn’t bad but these things definitely exist there!)

 

And with the election of Donald Trump in November, 2016 as the 45th president of the United States, everything became clear: the time had come to move from only studying and learning history to MAKING history. To taking action.

 

With that commitment, it has not been difficult working as an expat activist. And it has been so rewarding. So I am glad that people are asking me how to work effectively as an activist when living abroad.

 

What can you do? To be brief, you can do A LOT.

 

Let me get more specific:

 

1. Connect with the local political party: Democrats Abroad is a worldwide organization and it is definitely following the major issues in the United States and issues that affect Americans living abroad (such as taxation). But mostly they are focused on issues happening within the United States. You can work directly with them as a volunteer on projects that you’re interested in. Or you can get on their mail list and work on your own following their suggestions such as calling members of congress. They have a great campaign right now in which you take a picture of yourself calling your member of congress and reading a certain script. They send the picture to the main office with the hashtag #NotTooFarAwayToCall. By the way, you don’t have to be a member of the Democratic Party to join Democrats Abroad. (BTW, Republicans Abroad also has groups for U.S. expats.

 

 

2. Connect with PAGE, which is Progressives Abroad, Global Exchange. This is a worldwide group of progressive-minded people who want to get involved in U.S. politics. There are offices in many cities around the world. Each office is independently operated by a local expat. This organization is much smaller than Democrats Abroad and they are also more independent. Each group will decide which issues that it wants to focus on and pursue. If there is no group in your city, then you can work on your own or start a group. The global office of PAGE provides weekly guidance and regular support. This is a dynamic, exciting and diverse organization and they are very committed to making change in the United States and around the globe. Remember, you can work with an established group or on your own. Either way, you get lots of exposure to issues and practical ideas that you can implement.
3. What else can YOU do? Write letters. Send tweets. Send postcards. These can—and should—have a simple message: Support the DREAM Act. Protect the rights of immigrant families. Provide universal health care. They don’t need to be THIS simple but just make sure that your message is clear and easily read. And it should be polite too.
4. Make phone calls. Your congressional representative is required to keep records on every phone call that the office receives. So, get your message or script ready and make your call. You can call every day. Leave a message on the voice mail or leave it with the receptionist. This applies to calling the President as well. By the way, you can call anonymously if you like.
5. Volunteer locally on issues that are important to you. I’m interested in migrants and refugees. So, yes, I focus on the United States by sending my postcards, making phone calls, and sending email messages and tweets about the DACA program and the DREAM Act to my Congressional reps and President Trump. But I also volunteer to serve meals to refugees in Brussels and I make donations to organizations that are supporting or providing services to refugees in Belgium and the United States. These organizations need your help in many different ways.

 

 

 

6. Be that resident American. As I said earlier, people would often as my opinion about issues or events happening in the United States. I speak up about these issues. I don’t try to “hide our dirty laundry” by making things look different than they are. I answer in a straightforward way if I am knowledgeable about the issue (such as immigration) or I respond about my personal experience with the issue, for instance, the health care system. Today, I speak up. You can too. That’s great activism.
7. Start a Facebook page or campaign. You can connect with so many people through Facebook by starting a general page about politics, a specific political issue or about what President Trump is doing on a daily basis. This page can be informative, activist or both. But you can attract other people who share your viewpoint so you can work together to make your views known.
8. Attend a march. There are marches happening around the world. Join the march and meet with people who share your views. One point here is that I encourage you to march as a means to unify people not to divide or incite people. There’s a big difference.
9. Keep aware and informed. I know this might sound trite and obvious but it is SO important to stay informed about what’s happening in your home country and globally. (Remember it’s all connected.) If you want to have an impact, you gotta know what’s goin’ on. (Sorry, don’t mean to sound like Marvin Gaye!) But you DO need to know what’s goin’ on. At a minimum, watch the news channels like CNN or MSNBC or the BBC. But find also find your favorite non-traditional news (dare I say alt-news?) website, YouTube Channel or other news channel, radio station or online source, commentary sources and even the newspaper. Read regularly. Stay up to date. Personally, I follow what’s happening in the United States government so I have signed up for free updates at GovTrack.us and I have signed up for updates on the websites of my congressional representatives. So, I’m notified whenever they vote on ANYTHING—like a piece of legislation, federal and states judges. And I know when they will speak on an issue and what they said. These days, it is quite easy to stay informed. You just have to choose your sources and keep the information (and there will be lots of it!) organized and accessible.

 

10. Speaking of organization. You must organize yourself. Make a plan. I discovered when I got started in activism that there are actually lots of issues that I care deeply about. So many, in fact, that I simply don’t have the time to work on all of them. I can do 2 or 3 on a regular basis then temporarily address 1 more if a crisis develops. That’s all. Prioritize your issues so that you can focus your efforts and energy to make the greatest impact. Make an advocacy plan. If you don’t know how to make a plan for your activist activities, the advocacy coaches at rememberinghistory.com are here to help.

 

So, that’s all for now. You see, there are many different ways that you can make an impact as an activist even when you aren’t living in the country where your efforts are focused. American expats can be effective as activists working on U.S. issues. You will be effective and you will definitely be busy. But remember to have a plan. That probably should have been the first thing that I mentioned! And this works not just for Americans but for any expat activists. You’re not too far away to care or to make a difference. If you have any questions or suggestions, don’t hesitate to contact me at [email protected] or at the 2 Make History Today Facebook page. So, I’m signing off now. Thanks for listening and thanks for reading Making History Today! Bye for now.