Brothers and Sisters,
As we absorb the implications of the presidential election, we feel driven to connect with you to express our solidarity and our fierce commitment to fight harder than ever before for racial and economic justice.
The conciliatory words we are hearing in the wake of the November 8th vote do not fool us. The assaults we expect from a Trump Administration and a right-wing majority in Congress will be daunting and unprecedented. Candidate Trump ran on a campaign openly fueled by sentiments we abhor – racism, misogyny, anti-immigrant hatred, anti-Muslim hatred, and brutally hurtful and divisive rhetoric. We expect nothing different from a Trump Administration. It will act swiftly to implement its vision for America – punitive treatment of immigrants along with large-scale deportations; a right-wing Supreme Court; a deregulated corporate-run economy, massive tax cuts for corporations and the 1 percent; the privatization of public education; the elimination of federal funding for critical services like housing and mass transit; the dismantling of agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency; the repeal of Obamacare, and much more.
With every fiber of our being, Public Advocates joins you in opposing this vision for our country.
Even more so, we commit ourselves to forging with you a new path forward – a path towards a truly participatory and multi-cultural democracy where prosperity is shared; a path toward an inclusive society that cherishes all of us, no matter our gender, who we love, who we pray to, or where we were born; a society that puts the interest of the public first, starting with the most vulnerable; a democracy that places decision-making power in the hands of the people not the highest bidder; a country that manages its natural resources equitably and sustainably for the benefit of future generations and all living beings.
For many of us, and for many of our communities, the coming years will be frightening and painful. We must take refuge in one another, but we must not despair. Let us recall the words spoken by our civil rights leaders – the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.
Together, we will build the power to achieve racial and economic justice for everyone.
In Solidarity,
The Staff of Public Advocates
