We want you to help us raise $2,500 for the ACLU. In the last few months, and particularly since the US election, many women, ethnic minorities, immigrants, and people in other vulnerable groups have felt threatened and unsafe in their homes and communities.
As a show of solidarity, there’s been a wave of Americans fastening safety pins to their shirts, sweaters, jackets, and bags. They represent literal safety – when a safety pin is worn, it means you’ll stand up for vulnerable folks in your community. It’s a way to show that we’re all linked. The move, taken from the UK’s Brexit – where hate crimes spiked after the anti-immigrant Leave campaign won – is also starting to show up on Instagram. We often write about the symbolic power of our attire. This is a particularly explicit and vivid case.
We want to be part of speaking up on behalf of groups who are under threat in our country. So, here’s our offer: post a photo of yourself wearing a safety pin on Instagram and tag it #safePTO. For everyone who does, we’ll donate $10 to the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU is a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose stated mission is to “defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.” This isn’t a partisan thing; we just want to see everyone get the protections of our constitution.
