What You Can Do

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What You Can Do

The 1st Amendment to the Constitution
#1 of the Bill of Rights

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

People ask, “What can I do?”
Here are some things YOU can do:

Avoid Isolation

  • Talk with other people. Share things you’ve experienced, learned, or heard in the last few weeks and months.
  • Reach out to more distant friends and relatives.
  • Find and celebrate what Americans have in common.

Assemble Peacefully

  • Avoid civil disobedience and violence.
  • Peaceful public speech and demonstrations in public spaces are guaranteed rights under the Constitution.
  • Public demonstrations are a time-honored way to let those in power know how people feel.
Walk away from any situation that seems unstable or volatile. Safety matters.

Petition the Government

  • Contact your representatives in Congress NOW, in person and by phone.
  • Be persistent. Email is often less effective.
  • You can find names, addresses, and phone numbers at congress.gov.
  • Contact your Governor and Attorney General as well.
  • You may contact representatives from other states you have connections to.

Stay Informed

  • Get information from more than one source.
  • No single news source is complete or unbiased.
  • It is imperative to stay informed during critical times.

Below are some trustworthy, non-profit, non-partisan, and non-governmental sources. Try them alongside your normal media sources for one week:

  • Know What’s Happening:
    AllSides.com – News presented from Left, Right, and Center.
  • Know the Facts:
    USAFacts.org – Data directly from U.S. Government databases.
  • Know the U.S. Constitution:
    constitutioncenter.org – The National Constitution Center and Interactive Constitution.