We asked whose activism inspires you – you answered:
- “My great joy this year has been to see the many, many people in my community come together time and again to say ‘No, this is wrong!’. To see individuals find their courage, determination, and hope has been my inspiration to keep going.”
- “Over the past year, I have participated in weekly standouts at a major intersection in my town … My proudest moment was when my 93-year-old father joined me at the first No Kings rally, which was his first protest event ever.”
- “I’ve been inspired by my 11-year-old daughter this year. She is civically engaged, knows the true and correct history of this nation, and she speaks truth to power, regardless of the pushback she may receive … She has given me hope on the darkest days.”
So, as we mark one year of President Trump’s return, we’ve laid it all out for you – wins, losses, lessons learned, and most importantly, a roadmap to keep fighting back. Dive into our report today.
This week marked the close to the first year of President Trump’s second term.
We won’t beat around the bush – this past year has been rough. The Trump administration has created chaos, trampled on our rights, and harmed so many of us. Now, he’s even threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act – putting all of us in further danger and opening the door to more lawless, armed federal agents in our communities and on our streets.
But we’ve been fighting back.
We’ve been working in the courts, Congress, and streets to fend off the Trump administration’s most harmful plans – and thanks to the immense support of our community, we’ve been winning.
The ACLU is taking this moment to review our hard-won lessons from this past year – using the successes we’ve had as guidance and learning from our challenges as we prepare to continue fighting to defend our Constitution for the next three years and beyond. We’re uplifting the people who are in this fight with us. We’ve published Portraits of Protest on our website, highlighting five individuals who have been beacons of courage, activism, and community throughout the year.
And our supporters are right there with us. The ACLU community has submitted thousands of their own Portraits of Protest – a few we have shared at the top of this email – telling stories of people making a difference in their own communities and lives. We’ve heard about teachers, neighbors, family members, and strangers all coming together to protect our Constitution and to protect each other. We’ve seen a rush of first-time volunteers who knew that this moment demanded more from us all.
The year has been incredibly painful – but the story we’re telling is one of resilience and hope. We’re telling the story of people who saw mass injustice and cruelty and chose to take action.
We are only in a constitutional crisis if we allow ourselves to be – and if there’s one thing our community has proven over the past year, it is that we will never allow ourselves to be. The commitment we’ve seen from everyday people across the country is nothing short of inspiring.
Together,
The ACLU Team
American Civil Liberties Union
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10004, USA