“We who believe in freedom cannot rest, we who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes.” – Ella’s Song, Sweet Honey and the Rock
The rights and liberties we fight for on behalf of ourselves and our communities were on the ballot this year, and on Election Day, a large percentage of voters nationwide chose oppression, regression, and fear. It’s nothing short of devastating.
This is not about partisanship; it is about an administration focused on limiting the freedoms of others. As we face the reality of what the future will hold under a second Trump administration, I find myself resolved to stay the course and keep this work moving forward no matter what adversity we face in the future.
I think of advocates for justice over many generations, past and present. Marsha P. Johnson, Fannie Lou Hamer, Dolores Huerta, Roger Baldwin, Winona La Duke, Haunani-Kay Trask, Fred Korematsu, John Lewis, Susan B. Anthony, and thousands upon thousands of unnamed others. They did not face easy times, certainty, or ease. They faced rank adversity with both laws and societal norms fully against their just causes. Yet they persevered – and won many victories. The ACLU exists in that tradition. We stay in the struggle. We are relentless.
For months, we have been telling you that the ACLU is ready for whatever outcome this election might take. Those are not empty words. We have studied the promises of the President-elect, and we are prepared to protect the rights of all in Washington state.
I invite you to join us on a path forward:
- Share this message with your friends and encourage them to sign up for our action alerts.
- Join People Power, our grassroots team of activists, which will be incredibly important as we navigate the future. Resistance takes all of us.
I marvel at what we have accomplished, and hope is rekindled in me. The ACLU is a 105-year-old institution – an enduring American force for good that works hard to make ours a more perfect union.
We are in this together, and together, we will achieve justice, equity, and care. The arc of justice is truly very long. But we will bend it – relentlessly – toward light and love.
Onward toward justice and freedom,
Michele Storms
Pronouns: she/they
Executive Director, ACLU of Washington
American Civil Liberties Union
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10004, USA