throwwwy

Programmers make a /lot/ of money. Spending this money effectively and increasing the pool of money that is spent is probably the most impactful way a programmer can support a cause. I am sure the linked resources are fantastic, but for my dollars I will be directing them towards political campaigns. Obama recently posted something talking about ensuring a focus on influencing change at all levels of government, not forgetting about local and state/provincial governments. A solid addition to this list of resources might be ways of donating to political campaigns that can flip a seat. A lot of major tech companies are donating thousands of dollars to undeserving campaigns. Programmers in these companies can influence where that money does or doesn't end up.

We as programmers are quite good at assessing prior art as well. If we take cues from protests in Hong Kong, it has been widely reported that the HKmap.live mapping app that Apple banned has been a major resource for protesters in those areas. There is probably room for a similar appllication? To add an additional anecdote, the "This American Life" Podcast "684: Burn It Down" seems to me to be a relevant story. It details the story of a corrupt fire deparment, and how an attempt at organizational change (cultue/values/operations) was effected. Long story short, it didn't work! To me, the "why?" behind the relative failure is interesting. The leader who was attempting to remove corruption and corrupt and sexist firemen was was outsted by a shift in the political climate. He had support from the mayor of the city, but after the mayor lost in an election, the chief lost his job and any progress he made was reverted.