How to Help: The Last Sip, Episode Two, April 22
Happy Earth Day! Imara Jones and guests cover it ALL on Episode Two of The Last Sip.
How to help win peace in Syria
Will the madness ever stop in Syria? On this episode of The Last Sip, Imara speaks with Jamille Bigio, Senior Fellow for Women and Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. They discuss the disproportionate impact of Syria's civil war on women and girls, and how women's leadership holds the promise for real and lasting peace in Syria.
Check out more of Jamille Bigio's work here, and see especially the CNN editorial she co-authored with Rachel Vogelstein: "Syria is Devastated: Where Are the Women?" Bigio and Vogelstein write: "From their leadership in securing the recent peace accord in Colombia to their contributions to the 1998 agreement ending 20-plus years of conflict in Northern Ireland, to Liberia and to the Philippines, women have largely been the architects of peace -- the kind that at first seemed impossible to find but was still somehow built to last. ... If women could make it happen in these other parts of the world, why not try it in Syria?"
Also: Contact Syria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Bashar Ja’afari, at 212.661.1313 or syria.pr@outlook.com (yes, that's really the email address) to register your outrage at violence against Syrian civilians.
Call on the US government to put more pressure on the Assad regime (and its ally Russia), enforce sanctions, defend the chemical weapons ban treaty, and welcome Syrian refugees to the United States. You can call the White House comment line at 202.456.1111 and your member of Congress at 202.224.3121.
Support groups working in Syria for an end to the crisis, including The White Helmets, Doctors Without Borders, Human Rights Watch, Syrian American Medical Society, Islamic Relief USA, United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and many others listed here.
Support the US-based groups working to welcome Syrian refugees, including the International Refugee Assistance Project and United Against the Muslim Ban.
How to understand those crazy poll numbers
Like what you heard from Imara's discussion with Eric Ham about Trump's very steady, very low poll numbers? Follow Eric Ham on Twitter @EKH2016, and check out the book he co-wrote with Rick Blalock: The GOP Civil War.
How to help stop climate gentrification
In commemoration of Earth Day, Imara talks with with the CLEO Institute's Caroline Lewis about how both climate change and gentrification are creating a dangerous mix in south Florida.
"Climate gentrification" is a term to describe the experience of lower-income people, mostly people of color and immigrants, being pushed out of their homes and neighborhoods by wealthy people and interests, in anticipation of shifting home values due to rising sea levels. In Miami, neighborhoods like Little Haiti and Liberty City are particularly at risk.
To help stop climate gentrification, join and support the CLEO Institute's work with frontline communities in Florida.
Want to learn more? Check out The Root's excellent series Color of Climate, which explores how Black activists are addressing climate gentrification.
You can also support Florida-based groups including the Miami Climate Alliance, Miami Workers Center, New Florida Majority, Coalition of Immokalee Workers, and Make the Homeless Smile. The people behind the the Hurricane Irma Community Recovery Fund (jointly established by more than a dozen established, grassroots, justice-focused groups) are also working to address both the immediate and longer-term impacts of climate change in the region.
How to help divest from fossil fuels
Also in celebration of Earth Day, Imara speaks with Thanu Yakupitiyage, 350.org's Communications Director, about the work toward fossil fuel divestment.
350.org is a global grassroots organization standing up to the fossil fuel industry. Learn more and support their work here. Also check out Fossil Free and Divest New York.
Bonus: The Hottest Tea
Imara breaks down the biggest pop culture move of the week: the finale of Shonda Rhimes' Scandal. Watch Imara's take about why this matters so much.
Check out lots more ways to do something about the day's news on How to Help's main page.
