The communities Pitchfork cover and serve face challenges now like we’ve never seen in our publication’s 21-year history. President Trump’s words and cabinet picks likely signal tough times ahead for voting rights, women’s health issues, freedom of the press, and immigration, to name just a handful of threatened causes that matter to us. So today, we’ve decided to highlight a number of nonprofit groups that are fighting for your interests on these important matters.
On this Inauguration Day and every day, Pitchfork supports the American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and United We Dream. Please learn about them and consider contributing to them, if you have the means, or volunteering on their behalf. Here’s a brief explanation of what each group does and why we believe their efforts are be invaluable.
The American Civil Liberties Union
For almost a century, the ACLU has fiercely defended constitutionally guaranteed freedoms, from opposing “separate but equal” schools to exposing the U.S. government’s torture program. Donald Trump’s promises to deport undocumented immigrants, ban the entry of Muslims, and “open up” libel laws will surely tax this venerable organization’s resources. Just as important, the ACLU is a staunch advocate of voting rights, which are being rolled back in a range of battleground states. Donate here.
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood turned 100 last October. Founded on the principle that women should have access to birth control information, the group today runs about 650 health centers nationwide, offering a variety of reproductive health services. Republican lawmakers have vowed to end government funding of Planned Parenthood, which amounted to $553.7 million in 2014. Donate here.
Committee to Protect Journalists
Since 1981 the Committee to Protect Journalists has mainly worked to protect reporters in places around the globe where the First Amendment does not apply. In 2016 alone, 48 journalists were killed around the world, and 259 were jailed, according to the CPJ. Last fall, CPJ declared Trump “an unprecedented threat to the rights of journalists.” Donate here.
United We Dream
More than 700,000 young people who were brought to the United States as undocumented immigrants when they were children are now at the policy whim of Trump. Called the Dreamers, these young people gained temporary deportation relief and work-permit eligibility under a 2012 executive action by the Obama administration—which Trump has pledged to undo. United We Dream is a national organization that has been leading the fight to protect Dreamers. Donate here.