Beaten, But Not Beat Down

We are grieving. While we truly believe that the arc of the moral universe bends towards justice, we fear it has taken a heart-wrenching detour toward hate, fear, and divisiveness. This has been a daunting look towards an uncertain future for all of us — and acutely so for those whose lives and livelihoods may be directly endangered.

We can be sad and disgusted, yet we cannot be paralyzed by grief. If there’s ever been a need for the work we do together, it’s now.

We will stand strong together and stand up for what is right. We will link arms and shield one another, we will raise our voices and be heard, and we will chart the future together. We scream it loud and proud, that Black Lives Matter, that Muslim Lives Matter, that Latinx Lives Matter, that Asian Lives Matter, that Queer Lives Matter, that Women’s Lives Matter.

Rural poor. Native Americans. Trans people of color. Formerly incarcerated. Able-bodied or not, documented or not, financially secure or not — our rights are all equal, our voices all valuable, and our dignity all undeniable.

We can, and we must, build a progressive agenda. And we have always believed this must include all who feel left out and run over by rising economic inequality, as was clearly shown in this election.

Resistance is in our DNA. We take inspiration from the example of advocates and activists, protestors and opposition party leaders who have come before us. We will, as we always have, help each other hold on to the progress that’s been achieved and fight like hell to fend off attacks.

If there’s ever been a need for our movement to come up with creative, aggressive, and unrelenting ways to fight the tyranny of fear that we too often face – it’s today.

The answers aren’t all there. Yet we believe that out of the pain, and sadness, and anger, soon we will emerge, to fight together for what’s right. Optimism will return, as it always does, and the light of progress will begin to overtake the darkness of pessimism, ray by ray. And together, we will not only turn back the tide of hatred, but also build necessary bridges to those who don’t see their progress as linked to ours.

We redouble our promise to you and to each other to stand up for what is right. With a renewed spirit we will continue to fight for you, with you, and beside you for the rights, health, and wellbeing of our communities and the planet itself.

We’re with you, and are grateful you’re with us today.

In solidarity,

Abby, Alex, Alex, Alyssa, Amrit, Andrew, Becky, Betsaida, Bill, Breuk, Calisa, Cesar, Danielle, David, Devi, Donovan, Elke, Elleni, Eric, Eteng, Eunice, Heba, Henk, Ira, Jamie, Jane, Jay, Jenn, Jeremy, Joe, Josh, Julia, Kalya, Kamali, Karen, Kim, Kitty, Kristen, Lena, Lucille, Mala, Marina, Mercy, Meredith, Michael, Michelle, Myrna, Namju, Natasha, Neven, Paul, Rose, Ryan, Sonata, Trish, Valarie, and Zack