By Sophie Myers PZ ‘27

Generally speaking, things are bad. 

I believe most Pitzer students, and indeed most Americans who would label themselves “liberal” or “progressive,” are in at least vague agreement with me on this point, as they register our current political climate. Trump’s targeting of immigrants (including targeting of asylum seekers and refugees, and attempts to roll back birthright citizenship), his war on diversity, equity, and inclusion across public, private, and educational sectors, his concentrated attacks on the rights of trans people, his total disdain for any environmental regulations or attempts to combat climate change, and his fundamental opposition to basic structures of American democracy—for example his “loyalty testing” of career position federal officials, or his giving Elon Musk (an unelected official) unlimited access to the U.S. Government — all register as upsetting. 

Yet, given the chaos of the news cycle over the last couple of weeks, the details of all this “bad” are hard to keep track of — an essential part of the Trump administration’s “Flood the Zone” strategy. We are constantly overwhelmed, while at the same time, many of us in college feel somewhat removed from the Federal government’s direct line of impact. We agree that it’s horrible, but for most of us, life goes on pretty much as usual, and we, for the most part, do not act.

I’m asking you the question, “what do we owe each other in times like these?” not rhetorically, but in painful earnesty. I’m struggling to form my own answer. I’m struggling with what to do. And I’m struggling to feel like any action I could conceivably partake in would make any impact 

I don’t think I’m alone in this angst.

Right now, it’s easy to feel confused, powerless, alone, and perhaps removed from politics, and the vague “bad” that nationwide politics seems to represent. Particularly as college students, we occupy this awkward space between adolescence and “real adulthood,” and I (speaking only for myself here) constantly feel like I know just enough to realize how little I know, and have just enough experience in life to realize how little experience I have. 

Yet even though I’m young, lacking expertise, and not directly responsible for the evils of the current political climate, I believe I owe something. I owe the immigrants I share community with — whose labor, culture, and friendship I benefit from — care. I owe the trans people I share community with — the trans people who are some of my closest people in the world, whose historical battles have paved the way for my own rights as a queer person — care. As a human on the planet, I owe it to myself, the rest of my generation, and future generations, to care for our planet. As an American, I owe it to myself, the rest of my generation, and future generations, to care for American democracy. And care goes beyond a feeling or even a verbal declaration. Care is a commitment.

If I am going to claim to be compassionate, to care about justice and equity and courage and truth, I owe it to myself to act on these values. If an institution like Pitzer is going to claim values of “social responsibility,” “intercultural understanding” and “environmental responsibility,” it owes action on those values. And if you claim any of these values, you owe it to yourself, and to the rest of us, to act, and to show care.

Of course, what caring looks like, and what action looks like, are not self-evident. So what do I mean by them?

Beyond what you feel, deep in your heart of hearts, caring is paying attention to how your government, your institutions, and the individuals in your life are treating marginalized people. And caring is speaking up when that treatment is bad — specifically speaking up on the local and personal level, where your voice will have the most impact. So let’s watch what Pitzer college says, and what it does under this new administration. Are we complying with the NCAA ban on trans athletes? Will we comply with the next efforts to target trans people and immigrants on college campuses? Does our institution commit to principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion even when they put us in certain lines of fire? Caring is finding answers to these questions, and when those answers are bad, loudly denouncing them. 

Acting, therefore, goes hand in hand with caring. Acting, for me, is getting more involved in community organizing, going to more protests, showing up for friends in need, and speaking with other friends about why showing up matters. Acting is also, hopefully, finding more new ways to act. 

The new student group I am involving myself in, Students for Effective Solidarity and Hope (SESH), is a place for you to come, if you are looking for action. I am not saying that it is the only place on campus by any means, or that everyone has to turn towards a campus organization, but finding community somewhere certainly makes acting easier, so if you aren’t currently involved, maybe show up for a SESH meeting. Or go to a meeting for 5C Student and Worker Alliance (CSWA), or Swing Left 5Cs, or Pitzer’s Queer Trans Alliance, or any one of the numerous student groups that organize for good causes. Or find some local protests or calls for mutual aid or community events. Or, if you are confused on where action is needed exactly, read some things, or reach out to your fellow community members about how to get engaged. But do something. We all owe something. 

And we also all have obligations, goals, and private lives that we must tend to. When I say we owe action and care, I say so with full awareness that my definitions are incomplete, and that I have failed, and will continue to fail, to live up to them all the time. I’m writing this article partly as an exercise in holding myself accountable, as it is all too easy to fall into complacency.

I’m also writing this article because I think Pitzer is a special place, with a lot of potential for creating a community that acts together, and holds each other accountable. I’m asking you to be a part of this community.