Back in January of this year we asked the question, “can Brooklyn move past the ‘Trump Effect'”? Six months later, as the world continues to reel from the depraved and disruptive politics spearheaded by Trump and the Republican Party — this question remains valid.

Brooklyn definitely suffers from the partisan and damaging effects of a Trump administration. In our borough, the number of blatant racially motivated attacks in restaurants, and in other businesses soar. And according to UnivisionNoticias, “Hate on the train: Racial aggressions increase on New York City subway….”

We witness immigrant children in Sunset Park bullied at school. Sweatbox Brooklyn turned a negative situation into a positive one. This Sunset Park gym provides free boxing lessons for kids, once a week, so they can effectively learn to defend themselves.

We see Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials conduct at-large arrests in Brooklyn neighborhoods and work sites. One horrific example of ICE’s work is the senseless arrest of a law-abiding dad, Pablo Villavicencio, as he delivered pizza to a Brooklyn Army base.

Around the country, we watch in horror as government tears migrant children away from parents, wage war on people of color, destroy our environment, move to control women’s bodies, slam the media as fake news, and rob the poor, to pay the rich. And the irony of it all, it’s allegedly done to make “America Great Again.”

As Brooklyn’s own Iyanla Vanzant said during her keynote address at EssenceFest, “the occupant in the White House has cast a darkness on this country.” But she goes on to say, “stars shine in the darkness.”

Brooklynites we are stars! Let’s shine brightly in the darkness and lead this country back into the light. We do so by planning strategically; living from breaking news story to breaking news story can no longer be the way we do business. Planning for the future is crucial for our success.

“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now,” says author Alan Lakein. Lakein wrote the book, How to get Control of Your Time and Your Life. And for those of us who believe, as he does that, “Time = Life – waste your time and waste your life….” the time is now to act. We can longer sit silently as Trump and his party ruin this country and destroy our democracy.

Here are several things we can do together, in Brooklyn, to positively transform ourselves and this nation:

1. Thank Trump for bringing racism, prejudice, and white supremacy out in the open. We can not address and heal that which is not first acknowledged.

2. VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! Vote on Thursday, September 13th in the primary election(state) and on Tuesday, November 6th in the general election. Actively remove politicians from office who have not been responsible, morally ethical, and committed to the needs of their constituents. You know who they are, let your voice be heard on Election Day. This is a very important year. We must collectively vote for: Attorney General, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, State Senate, State Assembly, and more.
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2a. Once your vote is in, and politicians are in office, visit them regularly, call them often, write to them frequently, and keep them productively working for the neighborhoods they promised to serve.

3. Plan where and how to spend your dollar. If you are not treated with the utmost respect by the establishment you support financially, then it’s time to find somewhere else to spend your money. Brooklyn has a number of reputable small businesses to choose from.

4. Use social media to share positive stories and pictures about yourself, your neighbors, and your neighborhood — forward to us at OurBKSocial, of course!

5. Take care of yourself physically, intellectually, and emotionally. You can not help anyone else if you are not well. Get enough sleep, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and drink at least 8 glasses of water. At night turn off your cell phone and during the day schedule some “me” time. Plan to learn something new every day.

6. Create a vision board yearly to maintain focus on specific life goals. Use a poster board to display pictures, images, symbols, and words that will inspire you to achieve your goals. Set SMART Goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-based) in 6 different areas of your life: Health & Physical, Home & Family, Spiritual & Ethical, Career & Finance, Social & Cultural, and Education & Intellectual. When you have finished creating your vision board, put it in a visible place and meditate on it often. Take a picture of it and make it wallpaper on your phone and personal computer.

7. Do something each month to enrich the great borough of Brooklyn: volunteer in a hospital, library, animal shelter, political campaign or politician’s office, senior center, park or botanical garden, or keep it simple by offering your seat on the bus or train, smiling or saying hello to someone you don’t know.

8. Lobby to make calling 911 a serious crime for non-emergencies meant to annoy or harass innocent people involved in everyday activities. Bombarding 911 with trivialities can mean the difference between life and death for someone who’s truly in need.

9. And lastly, learn to love yourself completely with all of your strengths and weaknesses and teach your children to do the same. At this year’s EssenceFest, Walmart celebrated Black women with their #ReignOn campaign. Women of all ages, sizes, and hues proudly strutted gold crowns. While embracing their own nobility, they referred to each other with queenly respect. Words are very powerful, let’s use words carefully to uplift, encourage, and embrace one another.

And as businessman Henry Ford once said, “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”