I really believe that change starts at home. One way I try to foment change locally, besides voting in local elections, volunteering for local candidates and such, is to post on my local Facebook city page.
I started a year ago, by joining the page of the nearest town. I post mostly silly, clever, happy memes there, about twice a week. I comment on the local shops’ posts, praising their businesses if I think of something nice to say. I congratulate marriages, graduations and new babies. I post very good sales I see in local shops (Miller’s grocery has chicken for 69 cents a pound!) I post photos from local events, and praise for people who make things happen here: the ones that water the flowers on Main Street, the ones that mow the grass in the parks, the ones that hang the Christmas lights downtown.
Once in a while I post a link to something that happened in the world, like fires in Australia, earthquakes in Puerto Rico, and droughts in Zimbabwe, and positive stories about immigrants just to remind folks of the wider world.
I also comment on the Trumper’s posts now and then. I just post and move on, not getting dragged into arguments. I try to be short, polite, factual, and as non-personal as possible. My goal is not to change minds so much as to let someone who doesn’t have an opinion know there are other sides, and to let other progressives know that there are some of us out there. It’s also nice to tap the glass of the local right-winger’s fishbowl now and then to give them a heads up that they are not the only ones here.
That’s all. But in this last year, I have noticed more people speaking out against the very outspoken Trumpers and more people posting about kindnesses of others. I don’t know if I was a catalyst, but I am a voice, and even a single voice can make an impact.