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I'm a queer black woman. This is how you can help me feel safe in Trump's America.

'Let your whispering become a violent roar. Let us know that you won’t leave us to fight alone.'

I'm a queer black woman. This is how you can help me feel safe in Trump's America.

I am a black, queer woman.

And on election night in America, I was made perfectly aware of just how much many Americans are not ready for me.

In all honesty, I am not truly surprised by this election's outcome — hatred has always been embedded in the fabric of this country's design. America has never been the one to admit its faults. I often feel like we believe that if we don’t talk about a problem, then there won’t be a problem. As George Santayana, a Spanish philosopher, once said, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

Never owning up to our hatred and intolerance of anyone not white, rich, Christian, or male, is exactly what Trump tapped into to win this election.

Trump played on the fear of the unknown, and America allowed it.

He should have never been taken as a joke in the first place. He should have never made it this far. But he did, thanks to the media and the people who live here.

Now, many of us, minorities specifically, must be prepared for whatever monstrosities are thrown our way. We must prepare for warfare. Mental warfare. Psychological warfare. Physical warfare. We must keep our heads up and faith high.

Protesters gathered outside Trump Tower in New York on Nov. 9, 2016. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images.

So, allies, what do I need from you this week?

Minorities might be strong, but we’ll need you too. I know that you might not know how you could help us. I know that you might feel guilty. But I need you to not allow this to deter your activism. Get involved. Help us fight the fight. If you are deterred, fight harder — this is what we are used to. Look out for us. Continue to go to protests. Continue to defend us. Have our backs.

Let your whispering become a violent roar. Let us know that you won’t leave us to fight alone.

In these trying times, we need to unify more than ever before.

We need to collect ourselves and focus on how we will overcome. The country has made a mistake, but we can brave the oncoming storm. We may be in America, but we are not of it. America has allowed hate to consume it, but we will not allow hate to consume us.

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Macy's Gives

Macy’s and Girls Inc. are inspiring girls from all backgrounds to take the lead and change the world.

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Macy's and Girls Inc. believe that all girls deserve to be safe, supported, and valued. However, racial disparities continue to exist for young people when it comes to education levels, employment, and opportunities for growth. Add to that the gender divide, and it's clear to see why it's important for girls of color to have access to mentors who can equip them with the tools needed to navigate gender, economic, and social barriers.

Anissa Rivera is one of those mentors. Rivera is a recent Program Manager at the Long Island affiliate of Girls Inc., a nonprofit focusing on the holistic development of girls ages 5-18. The goal of the organization is to provide a safe space for girls to develop long-lasting mentoring relationships and build the skills, knowledge, and attitudes to thrive now and as adults.

Rivera spent years of her career working within the themes of self and community empowerment with young people — encouraging them to tap into their full potential. Her passion for youth development and female empowerment eventually led her to Girls Inc., where she served as an agent of positive change helping to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.

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Inspiring young women from all backgrounds is why Macy's has continued to partner with Girls Inc. for the second year in a row. The partnership will support mentoring programming that offers girls career readiness, college preparation, financial literacy, and more. Last year, Macy's raised over $1.3M for Girls Inc. in support of this program along with their Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programming for more than 26,000 girls. Studies show that girls who participated are more likely than their peers to enjoy math and science, score higher on standardized math tests, and be more equipped for college and campus life.

Thanks to mentors like Rivera, girls across the country have the tools they need to excel in school and the confidence to change the world. With your help, we can give even more girls the opportunity to rise up. Throughout September 2021, customers can round up their in-store purchases or donate online to support Girls Inc. at Macys.com/MacysGives.

Who runs the world? Girls!

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Support for marriage between white and Black people in America just hit an all-time high

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Over the past six years, it feels like race relations have been on the decline in the U.S. We've lived through Donald Trump's appeals to America's racist underbelly. The nation has endured countless murders of unarmed Black people by police. We've also been bombarded with viral videos of people calling the police on people of color for simply going about their daily lives.

Earlier this year there was a series of incidents in which Asian-Americans were the targets of racist attacks inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Given all that we've seen in the past half-decade, it makes sense for many to believe that race relations in the U.S. are on the decline.

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Macy’s and Girls Inc. make it easy to empower girls to be strong, smart, and bold. Here’s how you can help.

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Did you know that girls who are encouraged to discover and develop their strengths tend to be more likely to achieve their goals? It's true. The question, however, is how to encourage girls to develop self-confidence and grow up healthy, educated, and independent.

The answer lies in Girls Inc., a national nonprofit serving girls ages 5-18 in more than 350 cities across North America. Since first forming in 1864 to serve girls and young women who were experiencing upheaval in the aftermath of the Civil War, they've been on a mission to inspire girls to kick butt and step into leadership roles — today and in the future.

This is why Macy's has committed to partnering with Girls Inc. and making it easy to support their mission. In a national campaign running throughout September 2021, customers can round up their in-store purchases to the nearest dollar or donate online to support Girls Inc. and empower girls throughout the country.


Kaylin St. Victor, a senior at Brentwood High School in New York, is one of those girls. She became involved in the Long Island affiliate of Girls Inc. when she was in 9th grade, quickly becoming a role model for her peers.

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Within her first year in the organization, she bravely took on speaking opportunities and participated in several summer programs focused on advocacy, leadership, and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). "The women that I met each have a story that inspires me to become a better person than I was yesterday," said St. Victor. She credits her time at Girls Inc. with making her stronger and more comfortable in her own skin — confidence that directly translates to high achievement in education and the workforce.

In 2020, Macy's helped raise $1.3 million in support of their STEM and college and career readiness programming for more than 26,000 girls. In fact, according to a recent study, Girls Inc. girls are significantly more likely than their peers to enjoy math and science, to be interested in STEM careers, and to perform better on standardized math tests.

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