I, like many of my friends and colleagues, have found solace before and after the election in Pro-Hillary Clinton Facebook groups.
I was excited to be added to these groups because it provided my friends and me a space for people of similar ideas to gather, chat and share information. No matter what happened, I knew these groups were a place I could find others worrying about the same issues I was.
One of them, Pantsuit Nation, received national attention as the election drew closer. Those unaware of the secret groups were in awe of the staggering member counts.
There is a lot of power in a group of 4 million people. Many of these members are heads of households with impressionable children.
Many people — myself included — felt we were gearing up for a political show- down and thought these groups could create serious change.
Not all groups were created equal. After the votes had been counted, the groups became a safe space, a refuge for people of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds and colors. There were countless stories of suffering, racism and sexism from all kinds of people, mostly women.
As the shock set in and protests faded out, Pantsuit Nation changed. It became a place for women of privilege — white women — to receive a pat on the back for being a do-gooder.
Don’t get me wrong — I’m happy people are standing up for other people. But being in it for the Facebook likes and the story isn’t the right reason to help those in an uncomfortable situation.
Some of the other pro-Hillary groups have similar stories. However, I feel others have focused on making change on a smaller level, like within local government and communicating with current legislators.
Pantsuit Nation’s founder, Libby Chamberlain, did initiate some change, with an idea to donate used business clothes to the homeless to help them at job interviews. However, the idea morphed into selling Pantsuit Nation merchandise, with the proceeds going to the nonprofit.
In December, it was announced that Chamberlain had a book contract and set up a nonprofit called Pantsuit Nation. The book will supposedly contain stories shared by Pantsuit members, only with their permission.
Now, this is sketchy for a lot of reasons.
One, it’s probably safe to say most people in the group have family mem- bers who don’t like Hillary Clinton. The best part about many pro-Hillary groups is their secret status on Facebook. That means no one but group members even knows it exists, let alone can see who likes, comments and shares information within the community.
And where is the money going to go? What will the nonprofit do? Many members are confused and angry. I left the group as soon as the kerfuffle started, not wanting to get dragged into anything unwillingly. I know many did the same.
It’s assumed that Chamberlain will have control of the nonprofit. Will she be paying herself from the nonprofit, money made off others’ stories?
And it’s not like book deals happen overnight. Nonprofit paperwork doesn’t just get filed without serious work. Chamberlain would have had to be working on this for months, before she made her announcement.
And while all of these is really concerning and weird, the worst part is, Chamberlain squandered an amazing opportunity for change.
She could have harnessed the power of the Nation’s four million members into a driving force for change, in a country where its president may not have the needs of all in mind.
Imagine sending 4 million letters to one or two senators. That’s a lot of mail.
The only good thing to come of this is the attitude of the other groups I’m still apart of. Many have voiced a desire to become what Pantsuit Nation didn’t: change makers.
The country needs do-gooders who don’t need validation and people who are willing to keep fighting for what they believe — not give up and write a feel- good book.
Tess Fox can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @tesstakesphotos