Here’s A Reminder Of Everything We’ve Accomplished

Donald Trump's administration has already turned out to be a bumpy ride for most Americans. While that's pretty much what everyone expected, it doesn't make the constant influx of bad news any less exhausting. As a recent Twitter thread pointed out, however, political engagement does make a difference in the system. Admittedly, these changes tend to proceed at the pace of someone trying to make it through their "TBR" pile — i.e., it occurs in short bursts of activity followed by agonizing slowness — but at least it's something. And it's a reminder that we have to keep fighting for what we believe in, as actively as possible. (Bustle has reached out to the author of the Twitter thread for comment and will update when we hear back.)

On Monday, Twitter user @blowticious started a thread listing notable accomplishments made through the democratic process in the days since Trump took office. "Hi. Thread of good news that's relevant to all of us," they tweeted. What followed was a list of more than a dozen ways people have fought against Trump's administration and won — victories as intangible as the "implicit promise" of the Women's March and as concrete as the return of climate change data to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) website.

Further down the thread, @blowticious gives a hat tip to a Facebook user, but no matter where the idea originated, it's struck a chord online. By Wednesday, the parent tweet received nearly 8.5 million likes on Twitter, and just under 8 million retweets.

The thread brings up topics even news junkies might not be familiar with (largely because it's been nearly impossible to keep up with all the changes being made in this tumultuous transition). In addition to the partial reversal of the federal hiring freeze mentioned in the above tweet, @blowticious notes the impact the public has had on the immigration ban.

The tweets also touch on censorship of public information, the massive influx of donations to the American Civil Liberties Union, and the return of Affordable Care Act enrollment ads to television after Trump's administration yanked them from air.

It's not hard to see why the thread proved so popular. Predictions for the future have been on the dire side lately — understandably so, but it's still encouraging to see political engagement rewarded. "When people say protesting, marching, social media, etc doesn't work... it does. This is proof. This is what it looks like," @blowticious tweeted.

So while you might feel discouraged every time you check the news or scroll through Facebook, remember that protests, calling representatives, and other forms of activism really do work. It's guaranteed to be frustrating half the time, but any action is better than inaction. As @blowticious puts it:

But we can't stop working. We're giving birth to change and we gotta push. Please rest. Please take care of yourself. But this IS a marathon and we all have more work to do. You don't have to be a household name to help. Even if it's just telling people you know what's happening. They may not know. You're helping.

Check out the entire thread on Twitter, and once you're all fired up, take a look at some upcoming protests that could use your help this year.