COMPASSION WITH A NEXT STEP

PUT JUSTICE
INTO ACTION.

Give your time. Make your voice useful. You do not have to fix everything today—start with one real action, where you live.

All 50 states + Washington, D.C. · Official civic resources · Volunteering and service

50 STATES. DIFFERENT SYSTEMS. REAL STARTING POINTS.

Start where you live.

Every state has its own lawmakers, election office, and participation rules. Choose yours for direct official routes, then use the steps below to turn a link into an action.

Browse every state’s official links

Legislature: lawmakers, bills, committees, and hearings. Elections: registration, voting, and current rules.

Need a city, county, tribal, or territorial government? Use USAGov’s government directories. Outside the U.S., use your own government’s official representatives and local service providers.

Make the legislature link useful

  1. Find your state legislators using the official district finder.
  2. Search the bill number or a specific issue. Confirm the current year/session and latest text.
  3. Check the assigned committee, recent actions, and hearing calendar.
  4. Open the hearing notice for testimony registration, deadlines, and written or remote options.

Nebraska has one legislative chamber. Do not confuse a state senator with a U.S. senator.

EVIDENCE BEFORE AMPLIFICATION

Keep the evidence in view.

RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT · GAZA & THE WEST BANK

Archive Genocide

DaddyBruce95 supports the mission of preserving material for documentation and accountability. Explore the archive, follow original-source links and keep the people behind the evidence at the center.

Content notice: this external archive contains graphic images and video of death, serious injury and violence, including harm to children.

Visit Archive Genocide ↗

Read our spotlight & first-visit guide → · About the project · Explore its sources

Before sharing an incident, check its source, date, location and context. Preserving a file does not by itself authenticate every caption or establish a legal finding.

ACCOUNTABILITY STARTS WITH THE RIGHT DOOR

Who can actually make the change?

FEDERAL

Congress & federal agencies

For U.S. foreign policy, military assistance, federal funding, and arms-transfer oversight, start with your serving U.S. House member and U.S. senators. Ask for a specific legislative or oversight step and a written explanation.

Find your U.S. House member →

Find your U.S. senators →

States have two U.S. senators. D.C. and territorial representation differs. Use the official directories for serving officials, not only election winners.

STATE

Your legislature & agencies

For state laws, state budgets, and oversight of state agencies, use your legislature’s official links above. Find the relevant lawmaker or committee and ask for a specific action within its authority.

Choose your state →

LOCAL

Your city, county & boards

For local services, budgets, contracts, and public meetings, find the body that controls the decision. Look for its council or board agenda and clerk’s participation instructions.

Find local governments →

A local resolution can express a position. It does not itself cancel a federal arms transfer. Investment and purchasing powers depend on the actual board, agency, and law.

One issue. One clear request. A reply you can check.

Explain the practical change you want, include one reliable source, and ask what the office will do within its authority. If you cite a bill, verify its number, session, latest version, and status first.

Example: Ask a member of Congress to explain which legislative or oversight steps they will take on civilian harm and compliance with applicable law in U.S.-funded military assistance. Ask a state committee for a specific change to a named bill. Ask a local board to publish a contract or consider a defined service change.

Track federal bills on Congress.gov → Read the text and actions; bookmark the bill or use its account-based alerts.

Words to get you started

Personalize these drafts. Read them before sending, use the office’s own contact form or number, and keep private case information out of public comments.

A short call or message to an official
Hello. I live in [community/state] and am contacting [office] about [issue]. I am asking you to [one specific action within your authority]. My concern is [one factual reason or personal impact]. Please explain your position, what action you will take, and when I can expect a reply. Here is the source I am relying on: [official report or reliable source link]. Thank you.
Testimony on a state bill
Chair and committee members, I am [name], speaking for myself from [community]. I [support / oppose / request changes to] [bill number and current version]. The part that concerns me is [section or practical effect]. [One sourced fact or relevant experience.] Please [specific vote or amendment]. Thank you for considering my testimony.
A local council or board request
I am a resident of [community]. On [agenda item or proposal], I ask the council or board to [specific local action]. The current problem is [brief effect on people]. Please explain who controls this decision, the next public step, and when residents can provide input. If this is not on the current agenda, please tell me how to request future consideration.

Before a hearing or public meeting

Read the actual notice: agenda, registration, deadline, speaking time, and whether written, remote, or in-person comments are accepted. Ask staff or the clerk about accessibility or interpretation. Prepare one focused statement; submit fuller evidence through the official written route if available.

Rules vary. A meeting may be open to observe without accepting comments on every subject. Comments, testimony, and registration details may become public records; check before including a home address or someone else’s identifying information.

After you contact the office

Save the date, office, request, source, and reply. Follow up after the response time the office gives you. Check the bill’s actions, recorded votes, meeting minutes, or agency update. If there is no answer, ask again with the original request attached.

A useful record is more than “I sent something.” What changed? What remains unanswered? What is the next decision?

JUSTICE ALSO LOOKS LIKE SHOWING UP

Give time. Meet a real need.

Care does not require a large donation. Choose an organization, read what it actually needs, and make a commitment you can keep. If faith is what brings you here, let it become a meal, a useful task, or a neighbour who is less alone.

Food & everyday care

Find a local food bank’s volunteer calendar. Read the role, age and training requirements, then book a shift or begin its application. Ask what supplies are needed before organizing a collection.

Find a food-bank role →

A local cause you can sustain

Use the United Way finder to reach your local organization and its current opportunities. Offer time or a skill it requests, then choose a realistic schedule.

Find local opportunities →
Other ways to be useful
  • With permission, help someone use our I Need Help resources or contact a provider. Let them control their accounts, documents, and what they disclose.
  • Ask an older neighbour what support they want. Offer a practical task or regular check-in you can reliably provide; use the help page together if they want to find local services.
  • For a remote route, explore UN Volunteers online assignments. They are unpaid, for applicants 18 or older, and have role-specific requirements and selection.
  • Offer a faith group or community organization a specific task you can complete: a shift, requested supplies, qualified translation, repair, or administration. Follow its training and safeguards.

Care does not stop at a border.

For civilians affected by war and disaster, learn what an experienced humanitarian organization is doing now, where it works, and what it requests. Use its official channels to support its work or share a verified appeal. Keep aid for affected people distinct from support for this website.

Explore the ICRC’s humanitarian operations →

START SMALL. FOLLOW THROUGH.

Choose one thing today.

5 MINUTES

Find your next step

Find your actual public official, check one source, or open a volunteer calendar. Save the official contact or role and decide what you will do next.

30 MINUTES

Turn it into a plan

Draft and send one clear request, read a hearing agenda, or begin a volunteer application. Choose a realistic next step and put it on your calendar.

KEEP SHOWING UP

Make care dependable

Take a recurring shift, follow one issue through a recorded decision, or check in consistently with a neighbour. Put the next step on your calendar.

These are ways to plan your time, not promised application or response times.

Keep the standard.

Evidence before amplification. No threats, harassment, violence, dehumanization, or collective blame. Protect privacy, ask before sharing someone’s story, and correct the record when new evidence changes it. Equal dignity is the point.

Read the evidence → · Standards & corrections → · Join the community →

Sources, link checks & how to use this guide

Resource directories reviewed November 5, 2026. Official offices control their participation rules; independent organizations set their volunteer roles, requirements and schedules. Check the current destination before attending, applying, or submitting testimony. Assistance resources and state benefits links are on I Need Help.

State legislature links are drawn from the Illinois State Library’s legislature directory, with current official replacements where needed. Election links are drawn from USAGov’s election-office directory. Federal and local routing: USAGov’s branches of government, elected officials, and the official House, Senate, and Congress.gov tools linked above.

Meeting procedures vary; examples of official participation guidance include Washington’s legislature. The steps here do not replace any state or local hearing notice. Templates are original drafts to adapt, not legal advice or automatic submissions.

Found a broken resource link? Use our corrections process and include the page and link. Keep private addresses and personal case information out of link reports and public comments.