WHAT DO WE DO NOW? JOIN THE FRONT LINES.

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This was originally published on Auburn Seminary’s Website here. 

As a Sikh American mother, I have been terrified since Election Day.

More than 400 incidents of hate and bias have swept America in the name of President-Elect Trump. Soon his administration will consider proposals that threaten the dignity, safety, and civil rights of millions of families, including mine.

It’s no longer enough to vent on Facebook or love our neighbor while keeping to ourselves. We are called to become political.

I’m going to fight — for my son and the next generation.

Will you join us on the front lines as we fight for America? We’re building a rapid-response community to flood Congress with phone calls to stand for love and justice in the face of dangerous policies on the horizon.

Trump has captured the White House, but Congress still has the power to check and halt his most dangerous proposals. And members of Congress – Republican and Democrat – must be responsive to the will of the people.

So how do we do it?

During my brief time working in the Senate, I witnessed first-hand how constituents can make a difference: More than tweets and form letters, flooding congressional offices with phone calls brings work-as-usual to a halt. Our voices cause staffers to pay attention; our stories can change the minds of representatives — and embolden them to take a stand.

If you can donate a little time each week, we can build a powerful community of voices to flood Congress at every critical moment when our neighbors’ futures are at stake.

When you sign up, we will send you an invitation to join our upcoming strategy call.

We are poised to do this. This fall, the Revolutionary Love Project seeded 100 dialogues and film screenings on campuses and communities on how to combat hate with love. We spread the message on a national tour reaching 20,000 people. Then we harnessed this energy in a Get Out the Vote campaign with our partners. Together, we made 45,500 calls to American Muslim households in the state of Florida. Each phone call was not just a means to an end, but an end in itself — a way to fight hate, voter intimidation, and turn love into action.

Now we must organize like never before. Together we can engage Congress to stop the most dangerous proposals that the President-Elect has put forth.

Here’s what I ask: Don’t give up on America. Because if you give up, then millions of us who are terrified of the proposals that this administration will consider and enact will be left without their greatest defense – you.

We have the power to speak up and stand up to cruelty, bigotry, and hatred in our communities and at our kitchen tables. We can buy media subscriptions to keep robust and responsible journalism alive. We can donate to the advocacy organizations on the front lines. And we can commit to spending a little time each week to calling Congress – as part of a team of committed citizens.

You might still feel afraid and uncertain: The future is dark.

But what if this darkness is not the darkness of the tomb — but of the womb? What if the America we love is not dead but a nation still waiting to be born? What if this painful moment of contraction calls forth strength we did not know we had?

This week, Sikh Americans commemorate Gurpurab, the birth of Guru Nanak the founder of our faith. He called us to a life of “Chardi Kala” — relentless optimism even within darkness, revolutionary love even in the face of hatred. I gave this Sikh prayer after Election Day — may it offer a moment of solace and inspire you to join us today.