The election of Donald J. Trump has elicited a chain reaction of charitable giving. Responding to a fear that causes condemned by the President will come under threat, politicians, celebrities, and civil rights groups have rallied around such enterprises. Planned Parenthood and the ACLU have each respectively seen a staggering rise in donations since November’s unprecedented election results, with Planned Parenthood tallying over 300,000 donations between election day and the close of 2016 and the ACLU receiving a record $7.2 million in donations within one week of the election results. Among those to have voiced their discontent with the presidency are outspoken members of the art community, ranging from a host of A-list celebrities (many of whom spoke at the Women’s March on Washington), the outspoken Instagram account Dear Ivanka and Jonathan Horowitz’s recently launched Daily Trumpet Instagram, as well as organizers of the Nasty Women NYC Art Exhibition, which occurred at The Knockdown Center in Queens earlier this month. The latest militia to take up cudgels against Trump by way of charitable resistance are some of indie music’s best and brightest.Though not nearly as elegant as, say, Meryl Streep, an anti-Trump music project produced by the folksiest and most avant-garde of today’s musicians may be just what a generation in distress needs right now. Artists such as Angel Olsen, The Mountain Goats, Toro y Moi, S. Carey and more are participating in Our First 100 Days, a new song series launched in conjunction with Trump’s inauguration and lasting through his 100th day in office, seeks to aid in protecting a wealth of causes that are expected to come under threat in the upcoming administration. “We want to meet fans where they are and then move them just a little bit,” says Jessica George, executive director of Our First 100 Days partner organization Revolutions Per Minute, “At RPM, our role is to help labels and artists connect with organizations with which they would otherwise not be able to connect.” For a minimum contribution of $30, supporters will be able to access all 100 songs in the project, including new music from many of the participating artists. Songs will be released each day for the first 100 days of the new administration.The project, which began in conjunction with Secretly Group—the family of independent record label powerhouses, including Jagjaguwar, Dead Oceans, and archival label The Numero Group—follows in the spirit of 30 Days, 30 Songs, a similar series that spoke out against Trump during the campaign and boasted contributions from Jim James, R.E.M., Death Cab for Cutie, and Franz Ferdinand. “The team at Secretly Group was really interested in certain issues and organizations that are particularly active during this time of social distress. Together, we recognized that artists have the ability to keep these issues on people’s radars,” continues George. Now recasting the nearly centuries-old concept of the “protest song” into a 2017-appropriate, Bandcamp-driven subscription service, the artists give a nod to the days of “Blowin’ in the Wind,” while donating all profits raised directly to organizations working on the front lines of climate change, reproductive rights, immigration, and LGBTQ rights. The project is produced with the help of Revolutions Per Minute, a nonprofit agency that provides artists with strategy and support for activism and philanthropy.The money raised will benefit the following advocacy groups:All Above All: a reproductive right organization that builds support for lifting the bans that deny abortion coverage, ensuring safe, affordable abortion care for every womanCosecha: a nonviolent movement fighting for the permanent protection, dignity, and respect for all undocumented immigrants in the United StatesHoosier Action: a project focused on building the political power of working families and individuals in the state of IndianaPeople’s Climate Movement: a movement to stop Trump and Congress’ attacks on the climate to further advance a vision of new American economy that protects our planet and peopleSoutherners on New Ground: a regional Queer Liberation organization made up of people of color, immigrants, undocumented people, people with disabilities, working class and rural and small town, LGBTQ people in the South.To date, Our First 100 Days has released new music from Angel Olsen, PWR BTTM, Avery Tare, and Jason Molina. With many more releases to come, the project is preparing to garner a broader fan base, and in turn, a broader donation pool, with each passing day. “After something like the Women’s March,” says George, “artists are incredibly helpful partners in keeping the momentum going. Our First 100 Days is a perfect example of artistic activism—by partnering with artists, we can connect with others emotionally on such a vast scale, and that’s how we draw attention to so many necessary causes.”
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