Though there’s always more to be done, social justice advocates have a lot to be proud of this year. The Supreme Court of the United States upheld the legality of the Affordable Care Act, allowing millions more Americans greater access to health insurance. That same week in June, the Supreme Court codified the idea that every American, regardless of sexual orientation, has the constitutional right to marry whomever they please. In an act of tremendous courage, NYU alumna Bree Newsome defiantly tore down the Confederate flag which flew over the South Carolina courthouse, and an honor guard led by African American Highway Patrolmen legally retired the flag two weeks later. With all of these victories behind us, it would be easy to forget how much more there is to be done. But as long as we have members of the GOP who hate women and gun laws that are far too lax, however, our work is far from done.

Though LGBTQ Americans can now marry whomever they please — despite the occasional law-obstructing dunderhead — in over a quarter of our states, they can be legally fired because of their sexual orientation. Though the Confederate flag is becoming passe, the oppression it represents has not: people of color in this nation are subject to disproportionate amounts of police scrutiny and brutality, and are, on average, paid far less than their white colleagues for doing the same jobs. Planned Parenthood, which provides life-saving cancer screenings and disease treatment for millions of women, is under attack on the floor of Congress, and abortions are legally more difficult to obtain today than they were in 2008.

Almost 45 million Americans live in poverty. Domestic terrorists, taking advantage of our lax gun policies, continue to target schools, churches and public places. ISIS and other radical Islamic terror groups are turning millions of people in the Middle East into orphans and refugees. Of course, despair is not the answer. But every American, particularly those of us privileged enough to attend an elite private university, has a responsibility to do their part to combat systemic injustices.

The most effective advocacy work takes place on a local level. Calling and writing your members of Congress and members of the NYC City Council can have a tremendous impact. Working with groups on NYU’s campus who highlight and combat injustice will also lend a powerful voice to the message that NYU students care with our actions, not just with our words. Together, we can continue to ensure 2015 is the year of social justice.

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Email Laura Adkins at [email protected].