This post uses identity-first language to refer to disabled people, following guidance to use the phrasing that many people who have lived experience commonly use to refer to themselves as a group. Some members of disabled communities also continue to prefer person-first language. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Disability Pride Month is in July, the same month the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed in 1990. In March of that year, wheelchair users and other disabled people were arrested in D.C. for peacefully protesting in support of the ADA. In another unfortunate repetition of history, on June 25th this year, another group of disabled people, including wheelchair users, were once again arrested by Capitol police for peacefully protesting against the defunding of Medicaid and the passing of H.R.1.

Normally for months that celebrate marginalized groups, I donate a percentage of the net profit for that month to local and national non-profit organizations serving (and preferably led by) marginalized people from those groups. However, in addition to the many other deleterious consequences of H.R.1, some of which we are already seeing, within the next 2 years, millions of disabled people will lose their health insurance. With it, they will also lose their access to medical care, affordable prescriptions, and necessary accommodations, a gap nonprofit organizations will not be able to cover, especially since this bill also cuts funding for many of them.

Much of the propaganda around defunding aid for disabled people relies on fundamental misunderstandings about federal aid and about the many intersections of disability. Disability is a sweeping category that includes multiple mental and physical disabilities, some of which are visible, some of which are not, many of which are layered and impact each other in compounding ways. Disabilities do not always follow a linear progression, and affect different people in different aspects (and often, they may affect the same people in different aspects and intensities from day to day). More than 1 in 4 Americans of all ages (and more than 1 in 10 working-age American adults) are disabled. And despite common misapprehensions, many people who are too disabled to work already cannot qualify for federal disability assistance.

Many disabled people who do qualify for federal aid often find that its existing requirements and restrictions already trap them and their families in bureaucratically-designated cycles of poverty that leave them unable to budget for unexpected expenses, save money for education or work training, or afford care or transportation. "Work requirements" will further harm those without access to reliable transportation or who are unable to work because of their disabilities but do not qualify for SSDI or SSI, such as married disabled couples. The restrictions and time-intensive additional paperwork and administrative overhead for verification also harm disabled people who can and do work but still need government benefits for such things as accessibility/mobility devices, accommodations to allow them to continue working, and other survival needs.

So this month, I'm instead encouraging you to find and contribute to mutual aid needs for disabled people in your local community. Not only will this help people more directly, it also helps us build networks of mutual care that we will need in the difficult years ahead of us and fight the distance and isolation that eugenicist policies are trying to manufacture. Not sure where to start? You can check out or start your local mask bloc to help protect people from conditions that can exacerbate their existing disabilities, or look up volunteer opportunities and trainings offered by your locality in places such as local websites, libraries, or schools. You can also learn more about making your workplace or projects more accessible or using accessible features in your social media posts. And of course, you can listen to the disabled people in your life directly; there are more of us than you think.

Sensitivity reading for this piece was provided by Rayne from LunarRise.

While we've been through hard times before, 2025 looks like the beginning of one of the hardest yet. Stripping away civil rights, destroying efforts at international goodwill, and tanking the economy is just the start for this corrupt and bigoted administration. Many of us are hurting and afraid of what has been going on and what may come next. We are intentionally being made to feel like nothing can be done, but that isn't true.

What can we do? More than you might think, especially if we do it together. To that end, as part of the progressive activism that has been core to Discover Teas since its founding, I've launched an incentive program called Take a Stand, Make a Plan to encourage us to do what we can, where and how we can. Here’s how you can help:

Option 1:

Donate to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations doing the groundwork to support and protect our most vulnerable communities (locally, nationally, and globally) from the bigoted attacks of the current administration.
• Send proof of your donation of $100 or more (with your private financial details edited out) to such an organization via e-mail to hello at discoverteas dot com with the subject line "Take a Stand, Make a Plan donation" and I’ll send you a $25 Discover Teas gift card code.
• You can do this multiple times and receive gift codes each time, whether it’s by donating to different organizations or setting up a recurring donation and sending proof each time, but I request that you only redeem or gift 1 code per month so that I can afford to keep doing this.
• This is limited to nonprofit organizations that are not affiliated with any political campaign or party, since the funding (and therefore existence) of these organizations are most at threat from the current administration.
  Click to see a list of organizations I know of, but you can donate to other organizations whose missions align with any of these as well.

  Hampton Roads Refugee Relief

  Thriving Trans Men of Color

  LGBT Life Center

  Clever Communities in Action

  Lavender Rights Project

  Dos Santos Food Pantry & Thrift Store

  Legal Aid Justice Center

  Young, Black + Lit

  Darkness Rising Project

  Movement 4 Black Lives

  Equal Rights Advocates Rise & Defend Fund

  Trans Justice Funding Project

  National Black Justice Coalition

  National Black Trans Advocacy Coalition

  Campaign for Southern Equality

  Trans Empowerment Project

  Transgender Law Center

  Point of Pride

  Black Alliance for Just Immigration

  Al Otro Lado

  Afghan-American Community Organization

  Refugee And Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES)

  National Immigration Project

  Immigrant Legal Resource Center

  National Network of Abortion Funds

  National Abortion Federation

  Undue Medical Debt

  Helping Hand for Relief and Development

  eSims for Gaza

  International Rescue Committee

  World Central Kitchen

  Doctors Without Borders

  Your local mask bloc (click to learn more about mask blocs)

Option 2:

Starting this month, I will be holding monthly virtual Action Hours you can join. With the added pressure of current events on top of the existing demands of day-to-day life, it can be hard to set aside extra time to advocate for each other, so however you are choosing to spend your energy in resistance, during these Action Hours, we can do it together alongside other people.
• These meetings will take place over Jitsi Meet, a video conferencing platform that is free to use, works on desktop and mobile browsers, is available to all attendees without needing a login, and does not collect or sell your data.
• There is no pressure to use your full name, or have your camera or microphone on (although you can if you wish). The link may prompt you to turn on your camera/microphone permissions, but you can mute and turn off your camera before you join if you want.
• At the conclusion of each month’s session, I will send everyone their $25 Discover Teas gift codes through Jitsi’s private messaging feature.
• Action Hour dates, times, and session passwords for each month will be sent out as part of that month’s newsletter. I know everyone's schedule is different, so I intend to offer different hours on different days each month so people in different timezones or who have different schedules can also participate. If you are already doing work in the community but cannot make Action Hour sessions, contact me via e-mail at hello at discoverteas dot com with the subject "Take a Stand, Make a Plan questions" and we can figure something out.
• You are welcome to attend multiple sessions and will receive a gift code for each one, but I request that you only redeem or gift 1 code per month so that I can afford to keep doing this.
  
  Click to see a list of ideas for how to take part in these Action Hours (this is not an exhaustive list, many other actions can be taken!):

  writing your representatives to encourage them to support civil rights for everyone and to fight against harmful, bigoted legislation and policies

  calling or writing a script to call your representatives (local, state, and/or federal)

  finding existing mutual aid, direct action, or other community organizations to support in your area (such as food pantries, mask blocs, rapid response networks)

  working to help said organizations during this time if you have already joined some

  finding other ways to stand up for the people around you and to get into what the late Rep. John Lewis would have called "good trouble, necessary trouble"

Individually, these actions may not change the world, but they may mean the world to those around us—and may prepare us and our communities to come together and do what it takes to change the world.

And for those who may ask, "What does any of this have to do with tea?" Well, there have been a lot of changes since Discover Teas was founded in 2011, but one thing that's stayed the same is the mission: Tea with Love, Purpose, and Gratitude.

"When isolation, trauma and despair are weaponized; building community, helping people heal, and bringing hope are acts of resistance."—A. Marshall