Protests continue to pop up at various locations around the country in response to President Donald Trump's Muslim travel ban, but now citizens around the United States are attempting to organize a national strike in which no one would go to work, school, or spend money on February 17 in a unified stance against our Commander-in-Chief.
https://twitter.com/SeleneXXMichael/status/826902423063113728
<p style="text-align: left;">According to <a href="http://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a8671628/national-strike-protest-president-donald-trump/">Cosmo</a>, activists got the idea from Francine Prose, an American Writer who, in a column for <em>The Guardian</em> Monday, said: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/30/travel-ban-airport-protests-disruption">"Forget protest. Trump's actions warrant a general national strike."</a></p>
<blockquote>"So what can we do to protest our current government’s callousness about our environment and our health, its rampant greed, its disrespect for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?," she wrote.
"I believe that what we need is a nonviolent national general strike of the kind that has been more common in Europe than here. Let’s designate a day on which no one (that is, anyone who can do so without being fired) goes to work, a day when no one shops or spends money, a day on which we truly make our economic and political power felt, a day when we make it clear: how many of us there are, how strong and committed we are, how much we can accomplish."</blockquote>
Readers agreed and designated February 17, the Friday before President's Day, as said day when all American people should flex their economic power as a demonstration to the government that we won't stand for hate, intolerance, religious persecution, unequal rights, or any other egregious policies Trump plans to enact.
So far, no unions or large organizing bodies are in involved with the strike; it is truly a movement started by and for the people. And momentum is gaining on social media.
https://twitter.com/NaYaKnoMi/status/824734876238766083
https://twitter.com/davidtmccarty/status/825825313762504705
https://twitter.com/MysteryCr8tve/status/826824956189122561
Obviously, we've seen attempts like this before -- particularly within our own community in response to police brutality, but most efforts have failed to gain widespread support. And, consequently, no changes came about from our government. Do you think this #NationalStrike will be different? Will you participate?
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