Photo credit: Albert H. Teich / Shutterstock
Artists unite! There has been an immediate call to action by the Halt Action Group in New York City in the wake of the election of Donald Trump. This group is a coalition of artists, curators, and writers who “felt the need for an immediate response to mitigate the disaster of a Trump presidency.” Their first step was to hold a two-hour candlelit vigil before moving the group to the front of the Trump Hotel in SoHo.
This protest differed significantly from other protests across the nation in that these artists and writers are reaching out specifically to Ivanka Trump. They are asking her to speak out against her father’s racism, misogyny, and homophobia. The Halt Action Group began to take action immediately, before their planned protest.
It started with an Instagram account “Dear Ivanka” which included photos of Ivanka overlayed with quotes about the anxiety building with the hate crimes and actions following the decision that her father would become president. The Instagram account has almost twelve thousand followers.
The plan is to publish all photos as well as send them to her account. Examples of questions include humor like, “Dear Ivanka, If someone grabs my pussy is it OK to fart?” to more serious ones, “Dear Ivanka, I am a Muslim American immigrant and I don’t feel safe” or, “Dear Ivanka, I’m afraid of Mike Pence and conversion therapy on kids.”
In a more formal letter, the group explained that they decided to reach out to Ivanka specifically because she is a member of her father’s transition team and they are appealing to her commitments to standing up for the rights of all Americans, especially women and children. In addition, her husband is posed to be nominated as a member of Trump’s cabinet.
Meanwhile, Ivanka is posed to take over her father’s businesses. At this point, neither Ivanka nor her husband has replied to this effort by the Halt Action Group of artists in New York City.